Dreams May Last
by Mikoyasha
Summary: Tidus and Yuna were childhood friends back, four years ago in Bevelle. He promised her he wouldn't forget, but after a month back at school, she can't take him passing her by when they'd spent most of their life together. Will their relationship break?
1. Paper Airplanes

**(3/19/2011) Okay, so I accidentally deleted my author's note from when I first uploaded this chapter (oh, the nostalgia!), so I'm writing a new one! I have revised this chapter, and for the moment, I'm satisfied with it. I could absolutely not write the next chapter of this story until I revamped this chapter a little bit, so here it is. It's been a long four years. I'm going to start popping out some more chapters, I promise! And I love youguys! Thanks soooooo much to the people who read past the original first chapter of this story. My respect for you goes beyond words. More loving to come when I upload the next chapter! Please enjoy this chapter.**

_Chapter One: **Paper Airplanes**_

Yuna's heart jumped as she bolted up in bed. The thin, cotton blankets slid slowly off of her legs. She shivered in the cool of the morning. The sun was about to break the sky in its oranges and pinks—it sat docilely inside of the purple sky. She put a hand over her chest. Another scary dream.

She pulled the remaining covers off of herself, revealing chocobo-themed pajama pants. Her t-shirt stuck to her back. She wiped her forehead, grimacing. She was sweating... even in the brazenly cold fall weather. Yuna sniffed. The clock read 5:30 a.m. _I can't remember the dream that woke me up, _she thought somewhat defeatedly. It was typical. Even the sweat was typical.

All it usually took was a solid thirty minutes at most to shower and get dressed, but since she was up, she thought that she might as well take a bath before Rikku did; she would be able to soak in the clarifying heat and steam. She'd have time to ponder her other unexpected wake up calls. She would have time to relax, instead of rushing a cold five minute shower _after_ Rikku, and forgetting her homework on her mahogany dresser for the fourth time that week.

Her feet hit the floor. She almost lost her balance on her frozen feet. Rubbing her arms she opened the door, trying to avoid the clicking sound as she twisted the doorknob. She scampered down the carpeted hallway and shivered her way to the bathroom between her own room and Rikku's. _Heat didn't feel like it was rising much on the second floor, _she thought as she walked again past Rikku's room to get to the bathroom. Her uncle's bathroom was downstairs, and Rikku would be forced to use it. The sanitation was abominable down there. The toilets were clogged with sogged toilet paper and mold often spotted the corners of the wide shower. Just the thought of brushing her teeth in there made her nauseous.

Yuna flicked on the light. She squinted self-consciously at her reflection in the narrow mirror above the sink as she got accustomed to the sudden brightness. Her plain, almond brown hair hung sheepishly at the bottom of her neck. Her nose was small and indistinct. Her face was round, haltingly unexotic. And her smile was… tolerable. It seemed ornamental, almost, like a pearl earring hanging from her pale lobe. Her eyes were arguably the only unique thing about her, she thought. One was blue, the other was green.

She tore her gaze away from the mirror, and pulled back the curtains to reveal a combo bathtub and shower decorated with pink shampoos, blue body washes, and creamy orange conditioners. _I better hurry before Rikku wakes up_.

The brunette yawned and twisted the silver handle. The tub began to fill with hot water. She sat on the floor, leaning on the edge of the bathtub. The steam hovered pleasantly under her elbow. She dropped her head on her overlapped forearms, pondering her dream. What... what was she afraid of? She was uneasy when she closed her eyes. Tried to will the nausea away…

"Yuna!"

Yuna's eyes wrenched themselves open. She hastily turned off the water, which was rippling placidly around her elbow. She rubbed her elbow, shaking the water off her hand. _Must've dozed for a second. _She sleepily turned to the Al Bhed behind her who was speaking through the bristles of her yellow toothbrush.

"What time is it, Rikku?" the brunette teenager grumbled tiredly.

"Time for you to get up and change!"

Yuna smiled weakly at her, and saw Rikku sigh, before moaning. "It's 5:50, Yunie. Are you sure you're going to have enough time for a bath?"

"An hour's plenty!"

"Only an hour?" Rikku looked taken aback, but then she shrugged and shouted to Yuna, "I'm gonna use Pop's shower! He had to turn into work early this morning," and jogged out of the bathroom, only to appear in the doorway again only moments later. She plucked up her hairbrush, murmuring, "I'm so glad that Pop's bathroom is not as filthy as Brother's..."

Yuna smiled. Brother was in college, but his bathroom was still as filthy as he'd left it. And no one had been brave enough to scrape away at growths that had accumulated over the years in his bathroom. Yuna undressed quickly and slowly sat in the tub. The water threatened to rock contentedly over the edges of the tub. She drew the curtains closed.

Sooner than pleasure would've allowed, she was wrapping a towel around her body. Out of the heated breath condensing in the bathroom, she felt sickly in the sudden chilled air. Yuna patted her hair dry with the towel when she got back to her room. She enjoyed the feeling of the air gracing over her warm hair. She patted herself dry with the other towel, and pulled on the clothes she'd picked out in the chaos of the previous night. She pushed away the wrinkles in her shirt with her hands, and picked up a pink comb that lay on her dresser to quickly rake through her hair.

"Good enough," she muttered and glanced at the clock that recently read seven fifteen AM, giving her a good ten minutes before it was time to wait for the bus.

Yuna trotted downstairs to see her petite, blonde cousin already digging messily into a large, plastic bowl of cereal. Rikku beckoned excitedly for her cousin to sit down. Yuna grasped a bowl from a cabinet beside the fridge and poured herself a generous bowl of cereal and mused as Rikku hummed a bouncy melody. Yuna nearly choked on her juice, as she heard the squeaks of the bus' breaks, coming to a halt in front of their house. Eating one last spoonful of her cereal, the animated blonde yanked Yuna's arm with a, "Let's _go,_ Yunie!"

The morning mist was damp on Yuna's face like sweat. Her cousin locked the door behind her. The two barely made it to the bus, and Yuna felt herself rocking as the bus moved under them. Yuna breathlessly looked for an empty seat for her and Rikku.

All she could see were _herds_ of blonde groups, flashy cliques, rich friends, and snarky relatives, who were talking like dogs, laughing, singing, cracking jokes like eggs, and giving Yuna a headache that made her head pound in an already uncomfortable morning. She hesitantly walked further to the looming back of the bus, but she could not find a decent seat. She tucked her hair behind her ear, self-consciousness rising in her chest.

"Yunie! Sit there!"

Yuna followed Rikku's pointed finger to a seat with a lone person. He was talking to a thick, muscular guy with orange-reddish hair. He had an accent that Yuna distinguished warmly as Besaidan. Yuna looked frantically around for another seat, avoiding, the person who Rikku had pointed to—

"Excuse me," Rikku shouted over the noise. He apparently hadn't heard her. "_Excuse me!_" Rikku yelled impatiently, as the bus gathered speed. She felt a little shaky. The boy turned his attention to the Al Bhed and looked expectantly up at her. Yuna's shoulders shot up to her ears, and her face flushed a cherry red.

"Can she sit with you?"

He glanced at Yuna and flashed her a quick smile. "Sure," he said, and turned to the redhead in the seat beside his. Rikku jumped across the redhead's lap. The Besaidan he gurgled out an exasperated sigh.

"Rikku, haven't you ever heard o' askin'?"

"Shut up, Wakka! No one _else_ is complaining!"

Yuna saw the guy she identified as Wakka shake his head. He turned back to the person he was conversing with:

Tidus.

She walked up to him, and tried to squeeze passed his legs, her heart thumping in her throat.

"Oh, sorry," he breathed with another amazing smile.

"Thank you."

He moved his leg, and she plopped tensely down next to him. She gaped at him. Her jaw was glued shut. She could only steal side glances at him. His platinum blonde hair was layered in gracious locks, his tan complexion was mesmerizing. He was muscular and lithe, he was a blitzball player, and the practice had built him up healthily.

She looked out of the window and furrowed her eyebrows. She tucked the same almond-colored lock of hair behind her red-tinged ears compulsively. She tensed and untensed depending on his breathing. She wasn't going to look at him. She wasn't going to look—

"Hey! You!"

Yuna jolted and whipped her head in Tidus' direction when he patted her on the shoulder shoulder. He pointed enthusiastically to Wakka, the Besaidan redhead. "Y-Yes?"

He was laughing with his other hand over his eyes, and he exclaimed, "Wouldn't Wakka look _great_ with Lulu?"

"Lulu?" Yuna responded as she recognized the name as one of her close childhood friends. She had quite an familial relationship with the dark, exotic-gothic, responsible, grouchy, short-tempered, empathetic, merciful, and tender girl. She was a little surprised upon being asked to match the two together.

"You didn't have to ask her that, ya?" came Wakka's embarrassed voice, as he punched Tidus' shoulder resignedly.

Tidus patted Yuna on the shoulder again, while continuing to dazzlee Yuna with his laugh. He rested his hand there, on her tensed shoulder, other hand still covering his eyes, probably crying from something he thought was extremely funny.

"No, no!" Yuna retaliated at Wakka, shaking her head, and waving her hands frantically, but in a shy manner. "Anything is worth a shot! I'm sure if you try hard enough, she'll consider you!"

"Nah," he protested, humiliated, "She's been my neighbor since we were kids, ya?" He shook his large head and scratched the back of his neck. The bus came to a stop. It rocked as a couple of students entered the bus.

"If how I've tried wasn't hard enough, there's no trying harder..." He sat, with his back to the seat. Yuna was a little unsure of how to offer any advice to Wakka. He seemed like the least-likely candidate for Lulu's love interest. She noticed Rikku snoozing contently at his side, curled up, head resting on her knees. Yuna straightened. Her cheeks burned pink. She'd been leaning on Tidus! He didn't seem to have taken notice. And… he was no longer laughing.

She turned back to the window, the school in view, as a question lazily rose in her mind. "Umm, Wakka?"

He hopelessly turned his head to her. She noticed that Tidus was looking at her also. She became hot around the ears, and the neck.

"Why doesn't Lulu ride the bus?"

He didn't seem surprised at the question. "She's driven by her dad. Doesn't like the daughters of shoopufs that ride this bus, know what I mean, ya?"

Yuna gasped at his phraseology, but nodded. She hastily stood as the bus came to a stop. Lulu had never told her that before. Then again, she'd never asked. But it made her wonder if Lulu had a more warm and intimate relationship with the redhead than she'd previously considered.

Tidus got out of the seat as the bus pulled to rolling stop, but let Yuna go ahead of him, so he could lag behind her with Wakka. The brunette asked Wakka to wake her cousin, who was snoring against the window.

"She fell asleep, ya?" Wakka chuckled. He rolled his blitzball from under the seat and threw it. They watched it rebound off of her head. Yuna bit her lip. "Hey, get up, ya?" he said, pitching it at her once more.

"Five more minutes, Pop..." she mumured in her sleep, and Wakka let out an exasperated sigh. Yuna looked at Wakka, who and chucked it impatiently at her once again.

"Ow!" came Rikku's shouts over the others, who were groaning about the line. Yuna heard Tidus snigger. Rikku sat upright and squeezed in between Wakka, who scowled, and Yuna. The line was moving faster, and Yuna stepped dejectedly off of the bus without so much as a good bye from Tidus. It was safe to assume that Tidus hadn't really remembered her. She could just barely see Wakka's red head next to Tidus' platinum blonde head, head bobbing alongside each other, going to greet the blitzball team, only to be interrupted by Dona's posse—

Yuna gasped. _I can't believe I just thought that! That's not fair, to say. I don't even know her._ She and Rikku strolled by the, what Rikku called, "poppies," and she could hear Wakka's booming laughter. Apparently he'd gotten over the previous predicament. He was laughing at some kind of joke Keepa, the large and friendly goalie of the blitzball team, muttered, and was bombarded with flirty passes from girls he didn't even know. She stole a glance at Tidus. An dark, graceful woman hung on his arm and kissed his cheek. _Dona._ He laughed and scratched his head. Yuna turned away. He was definitely too popular, he was definitely out of her league... she was enveloped by a crowd of people again. She was bustled through the door to the Luca Institute. A huge, public school that was not far from the gigantic, glittering blitzball stadium in the heart of Luca.

Yuna's pale blue locker was relatively close to the shortcut to Lunch that led outside, then out to the cafeteria. It was right in front of the music room. She was a good student in all of the teachers' eyes, but among her peers, she was just a plain girl. Actually, Yuna was quite used to the 'plain' title by the time that Tidus had first talked to her at the Luca Institute.

He'd first spoken with her, during the last year of school, when he'd signed her yearbook—subconsciously, Yuna was sure—like a celebrity he scrawled his autograph and said, "You're eyes! They're so cool!"

Yuna was, to say the least, upset.

It was... the first time they'd spoken in awhile, but not in their lifetimes. Yuna and Tidus were once what Wakka and Lulu presumably were now. Not only shy, friendly neighbors, but intertwined best friends. Everything they did, they did together, whether it be playing, fighting, suffering, or taking in the sweet, salty air of the sea lapping the beaches of Zanarkand or Besaid. After he moved… he spent the years forgetting his intimate friend, and he began to craft memories with new friends. Even groupies.

She smiled. She'd gotten over it. Now that he was so big, it made her realize that they weren't actually really kids anymore.

Yuna walked down the hall, after bidding Rikku farewell from her paint-peeling locker, and headed into the spacious, well-lit Social Studies classroom. She sat in her assigned seat and stared at the board, waiting for the teacher to brusquely start the class... he was constantly late, which left plenty of time for mischief that Yuna was prone to getting accidentally involved in. Examples included things like getting hit in the head with Dona's paper airplanes, although they were always _accidents_, considering they were just notes to pass to Tidus.

She was also in Bickson's, the blitzball captain's, first hour class, and thus was entangled in mini-blitzball games all the time. Usually involving her getting hit in the head with thick, round, hard objects.

It wasn't that she hated the... _more favored _people. It was more just because she envied them, and the way they were acknowledged by everybody. Why did it matter so much, that Tidus was good at blitzball, and Dona was gorgeous? _Well,_ thought Yuna, trying to hide her bitterness, _that just it!_ That was, of course, what highschool was about. It was either being ignored, or being worshipped.

Rikku was one of the semi-popular females in the school. The hyper Al Bhed was what kept Yuna from being _completely _invisible, like Rikku's sibling, Brother, who had the misfortune of being simply unknown all of his life. He graduated high school when Rikku was becoming a freshman. Yuna had to undergo the humilation of saying she was used to it, when, on occasion, Rikku had to defend her from something like being cut in front of in the lunch line. Yuna was not one to get into fights for no reason.

Or for any reason, for that matter. But sometimes she wished that she was.

Yuna ducked her head when Dona hurled a lopsided paper airplane at Tidus, although it still rebounded off of her hair. Doing athletic things, including _throwing, _was something that Dona looked doing no matter how dark and painted and fluid she was. Yuna smiled at the dark-skinned beauty. She furrowed her eyebrows once she was under her desk, picking up the craft. However, instead of throwing it to Tidus embarrassedly, she handed it to him... embarrassedly. He took it, and Yuna's heart sunk as he grinned at Dona's writing. Yuna tried to casually sneak a peek at what was written, but Tidus stood from his seat, and gently pushed passed Yuna with an, "excuse me."

Yuna nodded, submissive. She sat down at her desk. Tidus strutted over to Dona's desk, and asked, "What's with this?" he was laughing, now, and she said, "I'll be at your game..." and she saw Dona turn his head in her hands, and draw his body close to hers... Yuna jerked her head away from the scene. She jumped at the sight of her social studies teacher standing in front of her with a disgusted look plastered on his face.

"Big shot! Stop eating Dona's face! You know the rules," he yanked Tidus by the shoulder, "No exchanging salivia in my class!"

Tidus slumped lazily into his desk, contributing much to the awkward atmosphere. She realized she was staring at him when he looked at her in turn and said, "Hi," with a small wave and a laugh. Yuna blushed, and couldn't even reply. She ducked her head in her palm, and stared at the instructor with intense concentration.

"Dona," the social studies teacher, Auron, said wearily, "detention after school. No more interaction of that sort. That's strike three for you this week... and it's only Wednesday."

"No way!"

"Excuse me?" he rolled his eyes up at her, as if it took an inhuman effort to be able to pay even slight attention to the flailing girl.

"That's," she began, not at all reluctantly, "That's the game! I have to watch! I _have_ to be there."

The teacher looked smugly at her and blinked. "That's the price you pay for breaking rules. I trust you won't break anymore rules during my hour?"

"Rules are meant to be bent, sir," Tidus pitched smoothly.

"Tidus, don't say stupid things," Auron retorted casually.

She felt somewhat bad for Dona, and as the dark beauty was slowly sliding inside of her seat, an idea occurred to Yuna.

"I have an extra sphere... I… maybe I could tape it for you? The game, I mean." Yuna smiled sheepishly at Dona and tucked her hair behind her ear. She felt almost… _ashamed_ to look at Dona, as if she wasn't even worthy to stare at her.

Dona opened her mouth in response, but the teacher spoke first. Sarcasm was swimming out of his stale words. "How very kind of you."

Yuna stared at her hands, not wanting to see other people's reactions. They would wonder why she'd decided to do such a thing for a girl who never even noticed her, despite the many times she'd been assaulted by her tacky airplanes.

"Okay, class, we have a special assignment today," said Auron, not attemptin reduce the annoyace in his tone, "I made it up just for you people who are flunking—this is your big chance to get up there to a 'B'!" he added, "of course, if you fail, you'll be staying here with me, next year... because, you've probably failed all your other classes, too."

The class surveyed him as he belted out directions: "Get into groups of four. There may be groups of less than four, depending on the number of people in the room... no groups of five allowed. Go. Now!"

Yuna never felt like she knew many people in the class, so she stood around by nobody in particular, and eventually other people who didn't have any partners came to her. Keepa soon came dragging his feet to her side. His face was heavy with disappointment, his ample cheeks sagged with sadness. Yuna reluctantly decided not to say anything _comforting_, at the risk of making him feel worse. She simply greeted him with a small smile and a "hello, Keepa." He nodded in acknowledgement, but then continued to sulk.

All of the groups were generally what Yuna thought they would be. Blitzball players, "hot" girls, "hot" guys, intelligents, less-than intelligents, and the leftovers. She was one of the leftovers. She glanced around for Tidus but didn't see him. Auron resumed shouting.

"No, no, this'll never work. Luzzu, switch with Leblanc. Hm, Yaibal, that's a group of five. Switch with the newly-switched Leblanc. Yuna. Yuna, switch with Elma... better, better... Dona! No, Leblanc, not over there with you, absolutely _not_. Shelinda, switch with Dona. Wow. Clasko, you don't have any partners? Come over here with Yaibal and Yuna. No, no, Wakka, come over here with Clasko... no, on second thought, how about Tidus over here?"

Yuna's heart was beating so loud, she could swear that he would hear it. _Thmp! Bdmp!_ It was yelling... stomping in her ears. She closed her eyes, nauseous, just wanting to keep the little shred of dignity she still had left—

"Are you okay? You don't look so well," rang Clasko's whiny, yet sweet, voice in her ears. It had never sounded so nice, his quiet concern for her. Yuna's heart was in her throat, and she was sure she was gagging on it.

"Yes, thank you," she replied, with another bright smile, and got hot around the neck and ears when she saw the dazzling Tidus and rigid Yaibal looking at her in concern.

The face of her childhood friend blurred in and out of focus, and she heard him say what she never thought she would hear him say another time. "Yuna?"

That was it. She could feel her heart beating in her throat. She tried to swallow, but it hurt.

"Yuna?" Tidus' voice sunk into her lungs like breath, "Yuna!" She felt his hand on her arm.

_Darkness._

**Hey! Pretty long chapter, I thought! It was okay, though, wasn't it, for a good first chapter? Tell me what you thought, and if I should continue! I hope you really did enjoy it! Please review-thankies!**

**Miko**


	2. Blanks in Autumn

**Hello! I have Chapter Two of**_** Dreams May Last **_**in my hand! That's right, in my hand! Anywho, I wanted to say THANK YOU, x-animosity-x, THANK YOU ALANNAH! You two are my first two reviewers, who make me actually want to continue to write. I hope the updating wait wasn't long! Well, here it goes...**

**EDIT: Revised! =3**

_Chapter Two:__**Blanks in Autumn**_

Yuna opened her eyes to a white room that smelled like latex. The school nurse, her uncle Cid, and Tidus stood around her bed, gaping like fish. Tidus gnawed his thumbnail. She blinked, trying hazily to recollect what had happened that morning. It was like looking for something at the bottom of a muddy lake. Her face heated, naturally mortified by the attention. Somewhere she heard the slow ticking of a clock.

"Yuna, you had another fever." Cid voice came brusquely at the foot of her bed.

"Really?" she said, bemused.

"Your temp was off the charts!" His eyebrows knitted together and he stuffed his arms into each other like a boy throwing a tantrum. "You went unconscious _again._"

Yuna's heart fluttered. So, she hadn't collapsed from being around him? Of course, that made sense... she sighed a breath of relief.

"And the nurse here said your tonsils got to be removed. I been tellin' ya this, and now it's time you really got 'em sliced out!"

Yuna wasn't dreading the surgery. She slapped a hand on her forehead. She truly was burning up. She looked at Tidus from the corner of her eye; he tapped his shoe against the tile floor avoiding her eyes.

"Um, so, that's what happened?" she asked lamely, looking pointedly at him now.

"Yeah, that's what happened..." came his voice, lacking the pep it usually did. But Yuna smiled. She was kind of glad for it. It showed that he cared.

"Why're you here, then?" she swallowed, her throat throbbing.

He looked up at her and chuckled. "The teacher said to stay with you..."

"Oh," said Yuna, disappointed, "Okay."

"Okay," he cleared his throat, and ran his lithe fingers through his layered hair.

"Well, you can tell him I give you my permission to leave, if you like—"

"Yeah, I know. But—no, it's all right."

Yuna's mind raced but she hid it well. She just smiled. Even when her father died, when her mother followed after, she smiled. She _remembered_ her mother, wailing in the bathroom at all times of the night, wailing for her father. Her heart broke at the sight of the grief-shadowed woman, long blonde hair falling down her shoulders as she threw her head back and begged him to come home. Yuna had been terrified. _No no, shhh shhh… baby… don't stop smiling. What will happen to Mommy if you stop smiling?_

After her mother died, too, Yuna jumped a few times over Spira with Cid and his rowdy daughter so much that it was almost inconceivable to think that someone from—_that_ time in her life could have moved beyond her past.

"This reminds me of the time we were playing with my dad's blitzball and you tripped, and hit your head. You almost got a concussion. Haha, I felt so bad—"

He stopped abruptly. Yuna eyed him placidly.

"So, you feel bad for me, Tidus?" She smiled.

"Hell yes," he said, "At first, I'd thought I'd done something to make you _hate_ me, but the whole time... Yuna, I'm sorry, I'm such an idiot, I didn't notice." He chuckled awkwardly again, but Yuna just smiled. She didn't have anything to say. Nothing in his defense. Except:

"Thanks," a scratchy word of appreciation.

"I—yeah," he shrugged, and shoved his hand into his pockets. "I'm gonna go, Yuna. The Teach'll want the report, and so will Dona. She's thankful for the sphere thing. You... you'll be there, right? I've gotten a lot better since last time you saw me play..."

He couldn't possibly know that she came to every one of his games...

"I'll try..." she said, and continued with a nice save, "for Dona."

"That's great!" he unleashed a lady-killing grin and winked at her from the doorway.

"I've missed you..." she mumured, speaking more to herself than to anyone.

"Well, I'm a missable person!" Cid added, not at all teasingly, and there was an awkward silence between the three of them. Yuna and the nurse exchanged surprised glances.

The rest of the school day Yuna gladly took off, resting at home, exhausted with the series of events. And for the second time that day, the bubbly Rikku woke her by jumping on top of her. Yuna let out a pained gasp.

"Yunie! I heard! Are you okay?"

Cid thumped his daughter on the shoulder. "Rikku, I told you not to do exactly what you just did!"

"Come on, Pop! Yunie's sick!" Rikku whined.

Yuna smiled at her, and Cid explained to Rikku that Yuna's tonsils were to be removed the following morning. Rikku's response was rather predictable.

"Is it going to hurt? Will it? Will I need to do that, too?" she threw her hands in the air dramatically, "Someone gimme some answers!"

"Rikku, please, I'm tired—"

"Rikku, get off yer cousin, for Pete's sake-"

"But I don't want my tonsils gone!"

"Rikku!"

"Rikku!"

"Pop!"

"Cid!"

"RIKKU!"

Rikku halted her obnoxious exclamations with an "eep!" and listened to what her cousin and father were trying to tell her. Cid kindly told her to shut up, but Yuna pressed on further, attempting to calm Rikku down. She reassured her that she would be fine, and Yuna, herself, would be fine, and nonetheless much better because of it. Rikku said nothing else as she strode passed Cid, and Cid, with a nod, exited, closing the door behind him. He re-entered seconds later and assured Yuna that the heater was turned on. He tugged the blanket around Yuna's feet ("when yer feet get cold is when you get _sick_!"), patted them hardly like he was brushing off dirt, and left again.

Yuna laid back on her fluffy white pillows, puffing them up. She slowly dozed off, hoping that the dreams she'd had, she'd not only remember but wouldn't fear. A "good" dream. But she worried that hopes were only hopes and had only been hopes for a large quantity of her life.

She lathered herself in memories of Tidus, and it made up for the disappointment of missing the game... Perhaps she could have someone else set up the sphere for her. She frowned, snapping up away from her drowsiness.

The alarm clock looked back at her, numbers bold and red. She'd have _several_ hours to worry before the game. She set her alarm clock for two hours before the game and closed her eyes. Rikku could definitely get some connections for the sphere, if she couldn't do it, but she had plenty of time...

_"You must stop!" The winds blew eerily. When he turned to look at her, time stopped and all else ceased to matter. He walked from the frozen girl in front of him and swooped toward Yuna, embracing her. He tucked her head under his chin. She wept on his leather-hard chest, and everything seemed to disappear into time... even the bosom of the moon. An earthquake rattled the darkness. She watched her white tears fall deep into the giant crevasse that was parting them, and he was tugged from her, and he tumbled into the giant crack. The last word that he screamed was a name. "Y-U-U-U-"_

"-na! Yuna! Wake up!"

Yuna sat up bolt right, feeling the cool air on her her tear-raw face. One of the salty teardrops rolled off her lip and plopped on her tongue. A pale hand handed her a tissue.

_I don't remember my dream,_ she thought, and took the tissue.

Looking up, Yuna smiled at Lulu and then at her alarm clock. She was awake an hour earlier than she'd intended. Lulu's scratchy murmurs consoled Yuna as she patted her eyes dry.

"You look as if you had a nightmare, Yunie," Rikku said cautiously.

"She has," Lulu said. She flattened her palm against Yuna's forehead and grimaced. "Do you remember what it was about?"

"No," Yuna replied honestly, "But it either frightens me or depresses me each time. I haven't dreamed a cheerful dream in years... nor one I can remember."

Lulu patted Yuna on the back in a supportive, reassuring way. It did comfort her… a little. She was still sore about many things. School wasn't something she was afraid of, but Tidus, Dona, Leblanc... All she ever had time to worry about was how to survive her high school years, and it had ended up that she hardly had any time to sleep. There was no waking or dreaming reprieve.

"Yuna, has something been troubling you?" said Lulu, concern flattened inside her voice like sandpaper. Yuna looked at the tissue in her hands. She pitched it into the bedside wastebasket.

"Nothing out of the ordinary, Lulu, not really," and Yuna smiled again. She was being honest with herself and more importantly, with them. But she could see in her their eyes that they weren't convinced. They didn't pry any further, however, not even Rikku. Yuna nodded for emphasis.

"I know, it's not something easy to believe, but it's the truth. If there's something else, I know no more of it than you do."

There was no more honesty to it than that. She hoped her friends truly believed her when they smiled. After a few minutes of silent pondering, Rikku spoke.

"So, Bickson asked me out, today."

"What?"

"Really?"

Yuna and Lulu exchanged glances. "That's great, Rikku..."

"Ya think? But I turned him down."

"What?"

"Really?"

Yuna coughed, trying to cover up the obvious relief that was flooding her voice. Lulu scratched her neck, also trying to hide her gladness, but Rikku noticed nothing.

"Why'd you do that, though? Bickson's a... nice guy..."

Lulu and Rikku furrowed their eyebrows at Yuna, who, gave up trying to choke back the giant lie. Rikku chuckled and replied casually, "Even _you_ can't make that one work."

Lulu held a finger to her chin. She shook back her long braids and smacked her purple lips; a sign of deep thought. Her dress was black and elegant. Even on simple house-visits, she was dressed formally. The dark dress hung at her shoulders in short, puffy sleeves. Gray strapped tied behind her neck. She was pensive, introverted—but today she was unusually quiet even in her sarcasm.

"Lulu, what is it?" Yuna said. Lulu eyed the brunette and the eager, rocking blonde before her.

"It's nothing. I was just thinking about Wakka."

Yuna's heart fluttered a little bit. "Do you like Wakka?" She clutched her blanket hopefully. At least _something_ might go right for her today.

"No, Yuna, of course not!" she shot a glare at her friend. "Don't be nonsensical."

Yuna loosened her clutch on the sheets. And sighed.

"I mean, I love him as a friend, but we've grown up together. I cannot really imagine it being anything more." She gazed at Yuna absently, but not unaffectionately. "It's unusual to be thinking about it now, though. Why do you ask?"

"No reason," Yuna responded quickly, getting hot around the ears at the white lie.

Lulu's penciled eyebrows rose high, one disappearing under her side-swept bangs. "Do _you_ like him, Yuna?"

"What? No!"

She had no eyes for Wakka. Only for... she fisted the sheets. _I just miss him! That's all!_ Lulu wasn't paying any attention to her. She was actually glaring at Yuna's alarm clock with intense distaste.

"In a short while, I have to go get ready," Lulu explained when Yuna and Rikku glanced at the alarm clock curiously.

"Yes, I promised I would go to Wakka's dumb blitzball game..." she loosed an exasperated sigh that rattled. "I don't understand a thing about blitzball. But being there gives him luck," she bit her purple thumb nail.

After looking dazed for a couple of seconds, lost in thought, she looked up at Yuna. She patted her arm, gave a sideways smile. "Be okay... if not for your own sake, then for mine."

She sniffed and stood up from the side of the bed where Rikku was rocking. Lulu raised her eyebrows at the hyperactive girl and muttered to her, "Now, what do I wear to a blitzball game?" Rikku giggled and hopped up at Lulu's side, throwing her arm around goth's womanly waist. Lulu was almost a foot taller than the Al-Bhed. The height difference was almost comedic.

Yuna gasped, hoarsely. She coughed into her fist: "Lulu!"

"Yes, Yuna?"

The brunette looked reluctantly up at her. She didn't want to ask any more favors. She was just glad that Lulu was there. But she couldn't let Dona down. She grew hot around the neck and ears again.

She tugged the end of the honey-brown lock of hair at her chin. "I have to tape the game on my sphere."

She saw Lulu's eyes lighten with inquiry as she strode over to Yuna, who was fishing through her drawers looking for a blank sphere. She found it in the second drawer in her smooth wooden bedside table. There was a long, deep dent in the top of the bedside table. The first time she'd traveled with Cid, a shoopuf had begun to step. She'd waved the giant creature off, jumping urgently around under his car-sized foot. She laughed thinking of crazy it had made Cid with worry.

With the blank sphere in the drawer were some of her other journalistic spheres. She handed the blank one gently to Lulu.

"Whatever for, Yuna? Are you interested in blitzball, now?"

Yuna shook her head and explained, "It's for Dona."

Lulu's light expression turned bitter as she glared down the sphere the same way she'd glared down Yuna's alarm clock. Lulu played the sphere back, in her hands, to make sure it was clear. It had nothing on it.

"For Dona?" she said flatly like stagnant water, "Why would you do that?"

Yuna smiled. "She got detention, so she couldn't make it to see Tidus herself..." her voice was quiet. Not with dislike, but envy. She pushed her thumb and forefinger together over the high bridge of her nose. She'd caught a sudden headache.

"Hmph!" Lulu said airily. "I'll make sure and put it in the worst place for _Dona._"

Lulu turned to leave the small bedroom, but Yuna stopped her again. "Oh, Lulu! Can you by chance make me a copy?"

Raised eyebrows were the soft, expected response. Yuna quickly covered for herself. "I've never seen Wakka play! And, I just wanted to see—"

"You know Wakka?" the tall, womanly figure gracefully crossed her arms. Her tone was amused. "I've never introduced you."

Yuna shook her head. "No, we met on the bus—"

Lulu chuckled, and flipped the braids off of her shoulder. "Okay, Yuna, I'll get you a copy." She paused. "Anything else?"

Yuna hesitated.

"Thank you... for everything!" Yuna bowed her head for what felt like a long time, appreciation overwhelming her, a flood that leaked from every orifice. _Through all of these years... and even now!_ Yuna felt her friend's hand squeeze her shaky shoulder.

"Yuna, you are more than worth it." The two exchanged easy smiles. "I have to get there early to discuss tactics that I don't understand with Wakka," Lulu made a face that said, but-he's-lucky-that-way, before closing the creaky door behind her.

Yuna stared at the door hinges. She and Wakka were really close, and they had been for a long time. Longer even than herself and Tidus. Their whole lives! Over fifteen years! And, yet, they were so different... their personalities couldn't have been more contrasting. Wakka—hopeful, positive, faithful. Lulu-short-tempered, doubtful, over-protective.

They were complements. Yuna smiled to herself. She brushed a lock of silky chestnut hair behind her ear before reaching into her second drawer and pulling out several spheres at a time. She wanted to relive her memories. She wanted to be engulfed in light and hope like she was so many years ago. She wanted to love her father, remember Tidus' mother. She rolled one under her thumb. Then hit play.

_"Happy Birthday, Yuna!" A familiar blonde grinned, snapping a picture at her._

She hadn't appreciated him, then. She'd taken him for granted...

_Tidus looked directly into the sphere—he looked about thirteen._

...That time was the exact same year they'd parted. So, they'd been apart for four years? Yuna was sixteen, now... and she was twelve then. Four years ago, she could never have imagined Tidus kissing any girl that wasn't his mother. Now he was falling over desks with them.

_"Tidus, you're embarrassing me!" Yuna giggled, burning red. Tidus pushed the sphere closer to her face. She could hear him laughing, a kid having the time of his life._

_"Come on! It's your birthday! You're supposed to be embarrassed!"_

_She laughed breathily, turning redder in the face, "You sound like my mother!"_

_"Hey! I'm only a year older than you, and you make me sound as old as your mom!"_

_"My mom's not that old, Tidus!"_

_There was a lot of shifting in the sphere, and there was a fleeting image of Yuna bent over laughing, being squeezed into a hug by Tidus. He fixated the sphere on them._

_"'kay, Yuna! Say CHEEEEEEESE!"_

_"Cheese!"_

There was darkness as the sphere came to an end. Happy tears pooled at the corners of her eyes. She sat that sphere aside and picked up another one.

It was on the same day as the previous one. Apparently, she'd deliberately placed the two spheres near one another in the drawer. She was clothed in the exact same outfit, in the exact same pale-grass yard.

_"Dance with her! Dance with her! Can't you dance, kid? Watch! Let me show you how it's done—"_

The sphere fell rolling into the grass. It was a new view of Tidus' father, Jecht, dancing with Tidus' mother, but the picture was almost abruptly cut off. Still the same Besaidian, island music played mystically in the background. She recognized the area as the small yard behind her old house.

_"He's such a sphere hog..." murmured a thirteen year old Tidus, grumpy from his father's arrogant display._

_The sphere jiggled again and Yuna could barely see herself over the movement of the orb. When it was still again, it was clearly focused on Yuna. Tidus continued to mutter._

_"It's her birthday, she deserves the sphere, after all—"_

_"Tidus! You little punk—can't you even film?"_

_"Ungh-sheesh—"_

Darkness.

Yuna said nothing when the sphere came to an end. It was pretty much worthless, and yet it touched Yuna. She wouldn't give it away for the world. It was a memory of the world when Tidus and Yuna were a part of a family. A perfect world.

She reached out for a sphere in a different section after mentally noting that most of the spheres in the prior section took place during Tidus' and Yuna's later years. She delicately scooped up a sphere that she suspected was an older one. She clicked it on.

_There was a couple holding one another like rose petals fetal-curled at night. Pyreflies erupted from the water._

Yuna matched this water, this painted evening, with the South Bank... in the Moonflow. She'd visited only a couple of times, and briefly, but it was distinct in its beauty.

_The woman adoringly looked up at the man, who was lost in the woman's eyes._

_"I love you," he said to her, quietly._

_"I love you more than anything, Braska," she crooned, resting her silky, gilded head against his chest._

_Pyreflies continued to swim in the air, floating on words like currents: smooth and ongoing._

_"And I love you, Father!" came a small voice. Small pounding footsteps on the marshes of the bank. The couple broke as the little girl ran up to the man._

Yuna painfully remembered the embrace of her father.

_"And I love you, Yuna... more than anything in Spira!"_

There was more laughter as the sphere ended.

They were so happy—they were all so happy. _What will Mommy do if you stop smiling_? She picked up a sphere next to the one she'd just watched, moved with violent grief. With a whir, a jittery image faded in of Yuna and Tidus talking in quiet voices. Yuna could distinctly hear her own. It seemed sad. And maybe even frightened.

_"So, what's the sphere for?"_

Tidus was thirteen in this sphere, too.

_Tidus shrugged and considered it for a few seconds. "I wanted to remember you. This—" he motioned around her small, flat house in Bevelle, the miniature, tended yard. The unpolluted sky of gray and yellow stars. "We'll see each other again—Yuna, don't cry, please, we will, I promise! I promise, Yuna—please..."_

_Distantly: "Tidus! Give Yuna a hug, and come on. We have to leave."_

_"'kay, Dad...!"_

_Tidus looked over at his Father, who scratched the back of his neck awkwardly as he spoke for a final time with Yuna's mother. Jecht's expression was hard, but it was the only way he'd been able to compartmentalize his grief. Yuna's mother held fast her tears, lipping words of gratitude. Tidus looked back to the tear-stained face of his childhood friend. He put his hand on her chin and slowly leaned into her. He kissed her cheek. She threw her arms around his neck in a miserable hug, clinging to the last piece of happiness she would hold in a long time. Tidus embraced her before his father called for him again. He'd gently pulled them apart. Yuna could only watch his shoes. He walked toward the sphere and picked it up._

_"Take it."_

_"No, you take it, please."_

_"Yuna," he said reassuringly, "I promised I'd remember. Please... take it. For me. Please."_

_"Tidus! Hurry it up."_

_Yuna nodded, tears trembling on her nose. Her heart burst as she approached him again._

Just before the sphere buried itself in darkness:

_"Don't cry, Yuna."_

She wept. She couldn't choke it back. She shook from thick sadness. She stuffed all of the spheres back into the drawer. She couldn't bear to watch another one. Him leaving was enough. She didn't stop shaking. She sobbed, cold and hard. A deluge of secret hurt like a night-sweep of pyreflies.

Raw emotion. Temperature rose. Dying calmly in the pillow. Abandoned in a drawer.

"Tidus, what happened to us?" Yuna rasped. A question, a dream, a lie. All the same in autumn.

**Whoo! A sort of depressing chapter... I wasn't sure how you guys would like this one... It was longer than the first, I think... nineteen pages. Hee hee, but it's fun to write. I hope the update date wasn't too long? I liked the result.**

**Drop a review, and tell me what YOU thought! (Love, Miko!)**


	3. Hidden Ambition

**Hey, all! I'm glad you stuck with me to this point! I love how many people are reading my story, but VERY few are reviewing it. Thanks, to Alannah, BananaJam, TiicklemyFANCY, raindropsX, and x-animosity-x. I'm not sure if it's asking much, but to those who read, and don't review, could you please leave a review? They don't have to be long. Just to keep me motivated, and knowing you like the story enough to say something to me about it! Thanks again to those who read and reviewed it!**

**Enjoy! **

**Edited: 2/15/09**

_Chapter Three: **Hidden Ambition**_

Yuna wanted to be strong, but it was too hard. She always smiled. Always did her best, held her head high and hopeful--but Tidus was her Achilles heel. He was her weak point. Over years of hope, and expectancy, he'd finally come across her. All of the weeks spent dreaming of his return had let her down. He'd found her, but... maybe he just _run into_ her?

She really was trying. Trying to forget him, but it wasn't as simple as people thought. Years of trying to remember him--she was too far involved to forget him! Would she have to be injured to talk to him each time? It wasn't fair! Her whole life wasn't fair! Why did her father have to die? He wouldn't of made her move to Besaid! But that was where she had met Lulu, and she always stuck by her side. So did Rikku... but would they be the only ones? It was... too difficult to grasp.

Yuna pulled on her sandals, while looking dreadfully at the clock. She was going to the hospital in ten minutes to get her tonsils removed and receive medication for her fever. It barely mattered about her tonsils. Her throat was thoroughly frustrated because she was holding back tears all the time, nowadays...

She forced a smile, and tried to shake away the pain, but it didn't seem like it was working anymore. It only made her realize how long she'd been faking happiness. He was the only one who could cure her, now. Tidus... her friend... at least, she thought so.

Yuna walked downstairs after combing her hair, ready to be bombarded with commands from Cid. She politely declined them.

"Yuna! Got ten minutes! Back in bed! Pronto!" he shouted, pointing back up the staircase.

"No, Cid, really, I'd prefer fresh air, if I may..."

Cid grunted in disapproval, but took no time to step aside, and let her through, rubbing his bald head, deep in thought. Yuna appreciated and loved him. He took her in when she became an orphan, when there was really no one else. She smiled genuinely before walking towards the front door.

Yuna inhaled the fresh air, closing the door behind her. She walked along the sidewalk and turned the corner. She sat solemnly on a pair of steps leading down into their neighborhood's cul-de-sac.

"Yuna!"

Yuna's heart fluttered, surprised at the sound of his warm voice in her ears. She was magnetized to his beautiful icy eyes. She stuttered uncontrollably.

"W-what are y-you doing here?"

"To give you your sphere from the game--here ya go," he replied, happily tipping it into her hands.

"Oh, thanks."

"Lulu had it in a bad spot--"

Yuna looked up at him nervously. "Oh, you know Lulu?"

"Psssh—yeah!" he shrugged, laughing, "she's a really good friend of Wakka's, so she's always around."

"Yes. And, I suppose Dona is too?"

"What?" Tidus asked unsurely.

"Thank you for the sphere. I'm going now, my throat hurts, and I have to get my tonsils removed--"

"Oh, yeah," said Tidus, and she felt his warm hand on her shoulder, and tried to hide the jealousy. Dona felt this way around him all the time. "Good luck."

"Thank you," Yuna couldn't seem to say anything of any value when he was around. Did he even want to be with her right now? She began walking away, and was aware of his footsteps carefully tagging behind hers. "Tidus, what do you need?"

"I'm walking with you," said he, with a dazzling smile that made her heart stir. Her stomach churned. _He said, 'with you.'_

"I can't—"

"Why?" A quick response.

"BECAUSE!" She had to tell him everything eventually, maybe now was the time? "You--I don't know you anymore, Tidus!" her throat became hoarse, as she stormed towards Cid's car, half hoping he would still follow her. He didn't, and she opened the door with an upset demeanor.

"I'm sorry, Yuna!"

Yuna's heart did nothing but yearn to look at him. He'd said he was sorry... but _four years?_ She shook her head. Sorry wasn't good enough. He was her friend. He _was_ her friend. Who was he now? And why was he so afraid to be around her, now? Was he embarrassed? She stepped into the car. It didn't matter. They weren't friends, now. They weren't even acquaintances.

She looked out of the window, and saw him staring at her. It was a new expression that brought her shockingly back to the memory of his depressing leave—their departure from each other. His expression was a mix of confusion and knowing. His eyes seemed to be asking, "Why?" but then pleading, "I'm sorry." I'm so sorry, Tidus.

The sky began to darken around them. Clouds dismally covered the sun, and the rain came fast. To Yuna's deep displeasure, Tidus began to get soaked. He wouldn't take his eyes off of her. He stood there, leaning against the side of the house. He looked like he was glowing, in the all too dim atmosphere. He was too perfect. She wasn't even worth his time—

Yuna began to instinctively open the door. At this point, she was being drenched in the rain. She astounded herself when she felt the sudden cold droplets of rain, pounding against her skin. She closed the door immediately, snapping back to reality.

His expression had melted into a new one. She knew he was thinking, _What is she doing?_ She was too nice to him—but years and years of caring for him kind of left her in a state where she needed to know that he was okay. How does he feel? After all of these years... what now?

"What now, Tidus?" Yuna asked herself quietly, allowing a tear to freely run down the side of her face. If this was what it was going to be like, why did he bother making her a promise? Trying to talk to her? Yuna stole a glance at Tidus, and then her heart jumped repeatedly, when she saw he was still standing there in the rain.

"Tidus!" A perky voice bounded out through the quiet _pitter patter_ of the rain.

It was Rikku, who came running with two umbrellas. One was open, covering her head, the other one was the one she was trying to give to Tidus. He denied it. They were now conversing, but Yuna couldn't hear what they were saying. As Tidus ignored the umbrella again, he leaned his head against the house, and Yuna felt pangs in her stomach. He looked upset. Tidus looked at Yuna again, and soon Rikku did also. Yuna hid her face under shame by staring at her cold hands. She was so lonely…

A minute later, Yuna heard a door opening in the backseat, and she saw Rikku shaking off her umbrella, and climbing clumsily into the car.

"I was coming to give you this umbrella, but Tidus told me you were in here."

"Oh... what were you two talking about?"

"Oh, just—"

"YUNA! What the hell? You're soaked, and you've got a fever! WHAT'RE YOU TRYIN' TO DO? Kill yourself? Put yourself in a coma? It's bad enough that you're with two Al Bheds! They'll probably think we beat ya, too!"

"Cid! It's not like that! Times have changed!" Yuna looked disgruntled when Cid shook his head, turning the key in the ignition. "Isn't it why that kid, Tidus, left you?" he looked up at the blonde teenager standing there.

Yuna actually thought this was the most ridiculous thing she'd ever heard.

"No, of course not! How could you think that?"

"Well, why did he leave, then?" he retorted, irritably.

Yuna knew Tidus was forced to leave by his father when his mother had died. It wouldn't be fair to lay all the blame on the cheerful blonde, when they'd both went their separate ways. Yuna's heart had nearly ripped into two pieces when her father died, and then there was Tidus' leave, as well as her own, from Bevelle, and her quick drop off on Besaid, while her mother died shortly after. She hadn't thought things could get any worse, when Tidus left... but, apparently, she'd taken more people than her parents for granted. Many people were painfully slipping through her fingers.

"It wasn't an _option_ to leave, Cid! His mother was a best friend of my mother's!"

Cid sighed. As gruff, and protective as Cid was, he was still Yuna's uncle... and her mother's brother.

"I guess you're right, Yuna," said Cid, while backing up the car from the parking space. Yuna couldn't help but to look out the window to the one person whom she'd spent most of her life with.

To her great astonishment, he was laughing, and waving, and shouting the words, "GOOD LUCK!"

_Maybe he does really go from one extreme emotion to the other, _Yuna thought, sensing no irritation. She wondered how much longer they wouldn't be speaking to each other. Even as she said the words, she knew she didn't mean them. He seemed to care when she was in need of him. Yuna felt very strong. She had no reason to cry, now.

"But," she murmured to herself, "I'm still far from over him."

Even the engine of the car whined in her ears, and the rain made things depressing. Somehow everything got darker when Tidus' gloved hand couldn't be seen once they'd left the wet cul-de-sac. Perhaps he's still there, she kept telling herself, joyously. Her optimism couldn't hide the dense reality engraved in her mind. She pushed it away to the best of her ability... but to no avail.

He had at least _spoken_ with her. Yuna let out an exasperated grunt, "These have been the longest three days of my life!" Of course she was exaggerating. She'd had rougher times.

"I hear that," Rikku piped up, throwing her arms up in an exhausted, defeated sort of way, though Yuna didn't think she looked exhausted at all. In fact, Yuna thought with a smile, Rikku was the kind of person who was riveted by other people's tragedies. She was the one who kicked people right back into their lives. It really did seem like that was her purpose in life, to help as much as possible.

She had her hair down to about her shoulder blades. It was pulled up in a high ponytail, that swayed with Rikku's constant movement. Her bangs were pulled to one side, and she had some braids dangling loosely behind her ears. She always wore bright clothes. Today, she was decked out in a bright green short-sleeved shirt, and a pink skirt. All together, she looked like a human watermelon. Yuna laughed.

"What's funny?" Rikku asked with a curious goggle at Yuna's recently rare giggle.

"Thank you," Yuna told her, and plastered a wider smile on her mouth.

Rikku looked surprised at first, but then a sly grin came over her face, and she murmured, "No problem—wait 'till I tell you what Tidus said. You'll simply fawn over your lover—"

"Rikku, he's not my-my—" Yuna struggled with the last word.

"—Lover," said Rikku helpfully.

Yuna flushed a bit, but then coaxed Rikku further. "What did he say?"

Rikku shook her head, and pointed to Cid, in the front seat. He had furrowed eyebrows, and Yuna wasn't able to tell if he was listening or not. She turned back disappointedly to Rikku, who mouthed, "at the hospital."

Yuna nodded, looked at her knees, and saw something glint orange.

"Oh!" she gasped. She'd almost forgotten the sphere Tidus had handed her, and she was now eager to watch it. Yuna decided that she wouldn't for fear of any reactions she'd be embarrassed to let slip in front of Cid or Rikku. Instead, she edged u her seat belt, and turned to the teen Al Bhed in the back.

"How was the game?"

"Well," Rikku put a finger to her chin, "Tidus and Wakka stole the game. They really are undefeated, I tell ya." She sighed, "Can count on those two to steal some major glory during a game."

Yuna giggled. She expected nothing less of the Zanarkand Abes. They were a great school blitzball team. And, with Wakka and Tidus put together, there was bound to be an amazing show. Yuna put a finger to her chin. Come to think of it, Wakka really was more of a team player, she'd noticed. Tidus, although he appreciated his team, was way more 'out there.' He loved the crowds, and cared about all the players, but if you let him have the blitzball all of the game, he wouldn't pass unless he desperately need to.

Yuna pondered her abrupt conclusion in caution. She absolutely _knew_ he was not self absorbed (she had, in fact, known him for thirteen years), but once in the game, it was about fun and talent together, which led them to a happy victory... with all of the Abes.

"What was the score?" Yuna asked, when she saw Rikku staring at her, watching the pensive brunette.

"I think it was something like ten to four. Surprisingly, a lot of players scored the actual goals, but it was Tidus and Wakka's moves that got them there in the first place."

"Mm," said Yuna.

"Yeah, Bickson was quite mad when he lost, saying something about ball-hogs, and how there should 'be more than two people on the team.'" Rikku scowled, "Glad I declined his request."

Yuna let go of a comforting smile, and it contaminated the Al Bhed girl, so they were both releasing enigmatic smiles at each other.

"Oh!" Rikku suddenly broke their connection with an exasperated gasp, "Wakka!"

"What?" Yuna blurted out in amazed concern for the red-head.

"Bickson was fouled for poison-kicking Wakka during the game too hard!"

"What?" Yuna started again, astounded.

"Yeah!" Rikku suddenly looked furious, pounding her right fist into her left palm, "Wakka had to stop twice as long as usual when they're kicked, but Bickson was permanently out of the game, and Tidus and Wakka easily scored five more goals after Wakka was back in, tanks to an extra surge of determination! Oh yeah!" Rikku punched at the air triumphantly.

"Is he okay, now?" Yuna asked worriedly.

Rikku shrugged. "Lulu was ecstatic about it all. Her contempt for Bickson could've probably set him on fire, had he not been in the water at the time—"

Yuna felt extremely happy about this, and Wakka probably did too, but Yuna wasn't sure about Lulu's secret glare. Did that mean she was just protective or liked Wakka? Rikku seemed to be thinking about it now, as well.

After about ten minutes of driving, there was silence. Cid pulled into the crowded parking lot. The sun had poked around, and the situation altogether brightened. She'd been dreading this since she was about eight years old. Now, however, she didn't look heavily upon the surgery anymore. It was a large waste of her time, and she realized she didn't _have_ the time to worry, what with her constant worrying be devoted elsewhere.

Again, she dully thought of Tidus. He was the beginning of her struggle. She really never knew when she was going to break, and she didn't feel reassured that she had much time before she officially crashed. She was soon to be mentally broken... Yuna didn't want to say she was unstable—far from it, but... she did feel _really_ hurt.

After Rikku scrambled out of the backseat, the two followed behind Cid silently. A lot was on both of their minds, and it was unable to be discussed at the given moment. Yuna heard that the tonsil removal operation was supposed to be a surgeon's easiest job. Yuna wasn't worried. It'd be over in a minute.

They walked up the grey steps of St. Yevon's Mercy, that'd been remade three times in the last twenty-five years. Yuna sincerely hoped they had a good staff. Her throat was in their hands—even at a time like this that sounded funny.

The two girls followed Cid around a corner, and into an elevator. Yuna felt apprehensive about this kind of machina, very unlike her Al Bhed relatives, who had even built machina before. She gritted her teeth when the elevator shook for a moment, and then went up, with a sharp _ping!_ When the three reached their desired floor, the doors finally opened.

As usual, they were instructed to wait in a waiting room. They watched some kids play with the toys, and watched their parents wearily read the best magazines provided.

Yuna sat down, tension rising when the nurse called the names of different people to the front desk. Yuna and the others were called third, and by then, all the brunette wanted to do was get it over with.

An astoundingly young doctor met Yuna, ready to perform what was going to be a 'delicate procedure.'

Yuna felt a sudden feeling of worry wash and overwhelm her. She shot a look back at Rikku, who seemed somewhat worried about Yuna's sudden intimidation.

Her stomach churned when he said, "Please wait outside," and Yuna realized this familiar feeling of longing... for him.

Yuna had been twelve years old. The memory came pounding back to her at the thought of a similar situation five years ago. It was all rushing to her head. Yuna had been breathless. Her fever was going to one hundred three point six. She felt dizzy—she was neither hot, nor cold. Her father was there to kiss her hand, and her mother as well, placing rags of ice on her forehead. Yuna couldn't rest. She was sizzling under all of the covers, but when she threw them off, she thought herself insane for allowing herself to freeze. Quite expectantly, she felt that she would not get better, and her temperature was steadily rising.

Then she'd seen a tan face, covered in sweat, glinting. His platinum blonde hair shone pale in the light. He had sat down by Yuna while her mother made her fabulous Al Bhed curing soup.

"Yuna," he'd said, "You're sweating like crazy!"

But so was he. She supposed he'd run all the way from school, when he heard of Yuna's fever pitches. He'd grasped her hand with both of his hands, while it hung limply at her side.

"You're scaring me," Tidus said with raised eyebrows, "This is getting a little overwhelming. Feel better!"

"I do already!" Yuna had laguhed, only to have it turn into a hoarse cough.

"Guess what?" said Tidus.

"What?" Yuna wondered.

"At least... at least there's no homework...!" he replied, lamely.

Yuna didn't find it lame, however. She sensed his plea for her comfort, and she was very comforted by his effort. She saw he had a blitzball by his feet, and he was gently kicking it, a worn smile plastered on his tanned face. She saw he would nod off into sleep many times, but would reawaken immediately, and squeeze Yuna's hand to reassure her that he was awake after all. He'd stayed with her for hours on end. She'd fall asleep, and when she opened her eyes, she'd see him pushing the ball with his knuckles, thoroughly concerned.

Yuna wished he was here, now. Now she felt really bad that she had left him, and Tidus wasn't there to know it.

She followed the doctor and he smiled comfortingly. He placed a scratchy sheet over her that felt like half paper and half cloth. "It'll be over in no time..."

A mask was placed over Yuna's nose and mouth, and she breathed in whatever gas they wanted her to breathe in. She automatically began to feel very drowsy.

_"Yuna! You have to get them removed!"_

_"I won't, Tidus! You can't make me!"_

_A look of exhaustion had crossed Tidus' face hastily, mixed with some humor and sarcasm. "You want to sound like you've been swallowing fly paper all of your life?"_

_"Tidus! You don't have to be so mean!"_

_A sly grin crossed his tan face. "You'll just have to let me remove them for you!"_

_"No!" she'd shouted, "I don't want them removed!"_

"—too late."

Yuna opened her eyes to the surgeon's large brown eyes smiling down at her. She sat up, and spotted Rikku standing behind him.

"Operation was a success, Yunie!"

Yuna looked flushed.

"O-Oh! I knew that..."

**End of chapter three! How did you like it? I meant to update Friday or Saturday, but I LOST my book! I just recently found it, and I was like, "WHEW!" Anywho, I'm not as happy with this chapter, but the next chapter you'll DEFINITELY like to all of you Yuna and Tidus lovers! No, they don't fall immediately in love, but it is fluffy... and it's the bridge chapter to the romance for the rest of the story. Hee hee.**

**I really would like to thank everybody who has read my story so far. It's amazing. Thank you! You mean so much to me! I would really, really enjoy it if you reviewed, though. That would mean even more. Tell me what you want to hear, _please!_ I love reviews! They make me feel all goey inside!**

**Love you lots!**

**Review, and tell me what YOU thought.**

**Miko**


	4. Honesty Revealed in A Sphere

**OHello, all, here's chapter four with "Dreams May Last," I hope you were looking forward to it! I'm really happy that different people have reviewed. I'm always ecstatic when I get a new review, so thanks for that! I hope you'll like this chapter. As I said, it's the bridge chapter, so... enjoy!**

_Chapter Four: **Honesty Revealed in A Sphere**_

Rikku squeezed Yuna's hand reassuringly, and Yuna followed her gaze, which shifted to the young doctor, who swept his way across the room, pulling his coat behind him, scooting out the door, so that he didn't touch Cid, whose face was grumpy, but his eyes were burning with relief that the exhausting fevers, and throat aches were over with. He took the hint of Rikku and Yuna's silence, and left with a nod to Yuna. Instantly, Rikku broke out in a series of babbles.

"Okay, okay, Yuna, Tidus talked to me!"

"I know, what'd he say?" Yuna could barely contain her excitement, and she didn't feel like she had to--Rikku could be quite obvlivious when news was at hand.

"Well," said Rikku, "he said, 'Hi, Rikku, how're you?'"

Yuna nodded all too eagerly.

"And I said, 'Fine, thanks, you?' and he said, 'okay. How's Yuna?' and I said, 'I'm not really sure. She's been down in the dumps, a lot... really sad about something.'"

"Y-You said that?" Yuna sked anxiously, blushing terribly.

"Yeah," continued Rikku, "and he said, 'W-why? Is she sad, I mean--'"

Yuna stared Rikku down hard. She didn't seem to be lying, and she didn't have a really good reason to... Yuna's stomach churned.

"And I said, 'I don't know, maybe she was kind of lonely... she isn't her usual self.' And he looked guilty and nervous." Rikku was bounding out of her seat on Yuna's bed, while Yuna embarrassedly was at a loss for words. Now she was terribly, connectedly anxious, "and what did HE say?"

"He said, 'Lonely?'" and then, Rikku looked at the brunette in a mix of pity and amusement, and continued. "'Does she have my number? Here it is--'" Rikku held up her left hand's palm, with seven numbers on them.

"Oh," Yuna said, aware her face that was a burning scarlet, now.

"He said, 'and since she's probably too embarrassed to call _me,_ write your number on my palm--'"

Yuna assumed this was the pity part of the story, but she was still overjoyed. She would love to have Tidus call her... Yuna pulled back the covers, and stepped up, a spring in her step.

"What're you doing?" asked Rikku, watching her with wide eyes.

"Nothing," said Yuna, face still hot, wondering why she had gotten up. She figured queasily that it was her instinct wanting to talk to Tidus, and she clutched her stomach in a sort of pain.

"What's wrong, Yunie?" the Al Bhed hoaxed, comfortably, and then there was silence. Yuna shook her head, and closed her eyes, plopping on the bed in a miserable way--which she was quick to cover up with a giggle that was too high, and not very convincing.

"Do you like Tidus?" she asked Yuna, smiling. Yuna thought it was rather obvious, but decided to lie, much to her own hard feelings towards herself.

"No, of course not!"

"You did... used to know him, you know. Yuna, maybe you're still in love with that Tidus you knew."

At this, Yuna's whole stomach shot up to her throat, and her heart was beating faster than she felt she could get it to beat after running twenty miles. However, Yuna didn't think it was love she was feeling. It was a terrible mix of anguish, regret, and ignorance, but no, not love, definitely not love.

"No, it's not," Yuna shook her head matter-of-factly. "It's not love, Rikku. We were great friends is all, and you know how hard it is to let someone go..."

Yuna was beginning to get the familiar sensation of an aching throat, and her eyes burning, and quite unexpectedly, she heard herself laugh. The feelings subsided, though, as Yuna rolled on her side to face Rikku.

"He means so much to me," another laugh, "Just look at Lulu and Wakka. Almost sick of eachother now--if you split them up, Lulu would be heartbroken, and Wakka would be in tears!"

The two burst into laughing at this, and Rikku slapped her tanned knee, her eyes watering, as she pictured the hilarious scene.

"That's... so... true, Yunie," she gasped, and finally shaking her head in thought. "And you know, I think Lulu already does love Wakka."

Yuna nodded in agreement. She thought, and hoped this was true. Lulu and Wakka together would probably mean everything to them.

"And, like I said," said Yuna, "Parting makes the heart grow fonder... or something like that."

"Yes," said Rikku, "I really think it does."

There was a thoughtful silence between the two, when suddenly, Rikku sprang up, and shouted, "Ooooh, I've have GOT to pee!"

Yuna, quite startled at this sudden gesture watched her dash into the bathroom. After a few seconds of being a little shocked, Yuna giggled joyously. It was quite wonderous to have a character such as Rikku around.

Yuna got out of bed to put her regular clothes back on she quickly pulled off the large, paper-like shirt, and she had her pants on under that. They had given her a pajama shirt, but under the hospital bed's sheets, she pulled on her normal shirt. When she slid the shirt over her side, she lay down on her side in the bed, and felt something pressed against her side. She pulled it out of her pocket, with great difficulty. It was a glowing orange--sphere!

_Of course,_ thought Yuna, excitement pulsing through her veins, _the sphere._

Yuna wondered if Rikku should be waited on to watch the sphere. Whatever she was doing in there was taking an awfully long time, and Yuna pushed the thought of what the small hospital bathroom might smell like after Rikku was through with her business in there.

Yuna decided to watch it now, and show Rikku later. She clicked it on, and he held her breath as it played.

There was Lulu, walking away from the sphere in her elegant dress, approaching the red-headed Wakka, no doubt to wish him luck. Yuna smiled at the two who had grown up together.

Then, just when Lulu had said the words, "Hello, Wakka," there was a shifting through the sphere, and soon it was being picked up.

"What're you doing?" came Lulu's scratchy voice, protectively.

"Nothing," came the laugh of Tidus, sending a warm feeling through Yuna's veins. He continued.

"You know what a bad spot this is in, Lulu?" Tidus asked her, laughing. There came a grunt from Lulu. Yuna had been told by Lulu herself that she would place the sphere in a rather bad spot to vent hatred to Dona, but she would not tell Tidus that.

"This one's Dona's, put where you like--" and orange orb came hurling from one side of the picture. Yuna was getting even more anxious, and she heard Lulu gasp in surprise.

"Why put them in two different places?" Lulu then asked, suspiciously.

"Dona wants to check out hot guys in blitzball outfits," laughed Tidus a little begrudgingly, "and Yuna wants to see the game, right?"

"I suppose so..."

"Hold on," mumured Tidus, and the lopsided picture went black for a moment. It came back on a second later. Yuna did a quiet shriek of excitement. He wanted hers to be in a more special place! And he didn't care where Dona's went. Yuna smiled, and then continued to watch.

When the sphere came on again, Tidus' face was greeting hers with a very happy expression. He was laughing, and waving, and then he put it down on the ground with a great view of the Luca Instituion's blitzball stadium.

"Hey, Yuna!" said Tidus, sticking his tongue out at the sphere, and then sitting down infront of it.

"Listen, uh, how's it goin'?" said he. Yuna's heart jolted several times. Was he going to just talk to her for awhile? Yuna saw the stands were empty, and her hope went off the charts, as she stared into his eyes. They were beautiful... even recorded on a sphere.

"I wanted to talk to you. I--uh, don't know how to say this, but... I feel a little guilty..." he let out a croak, which was from nervousness, Yuna supposed, and she blushed.

"I know, we haven't been in touch for awhile... four years, and now, just now we're meeting up. It's very weird..." he ran his gloved fingers through his hair.

"That day when you were in the Nurse's office, I was thinking about what could've put you in that condition--was it me, Yuna? Was it me?"

Yuna's hear lept pleadingly to tell him no, but it kind of was, and she felt very hurt knowing such a thing.

Tidus scooted closer to the sphere.

"It's embarrassing to say so myself, but I know it was, you know, me, the reason that caused it."

Tidus was not smiling, now.

"Uh... I don't know how you feel, but I was feeling kind of weird... like I couldn't approach you--did you feel that way?"

Yuna smiled again--she knew in their childhood, Tidus was always very open about his feelings, while Yuna was not. It peculiarly made them very easy to get along with together.

"I knew about my promise," said Tidus, now in lower tones, "but I didn't know how you felt--had you forgotten?It's hard to say this Yuna, but ther was a strange gap for four years that I couldn't fill, and I was always wondering if that was what friendship did you you, then, I didn't want to have any friends, you know?" he laughed, and so did Yuna. He used to have that effect on her, once. His happiness was contagious to her--she always caught his laughter--from anywhere... anytime.

"But I got some friends, and some girlfriends," there was a huge laugh from him, this time, and Yuna smiled, half being discreetly jealous, and half being amazed--a few?

"I thought," said Tidus, "Yuna must have many boyfriends by now who are willing to die for her... like my Dad used to always say, 'she's already got guys wanting to marry her, so you better get movin'! Ask her out already!'"

Yuna laughed at the grumpy imitation of Tidus' father, Jecht.

"I was like, 'I can't!'" Tidus laughed, and then looked at the sphere, lost for words in thought, apparently.

"It's just been awhile, Yuna, and I took it for granted what kind of friendship we had, and then, when it was over, it left me sort of... _down there._" Tidus bent his index and middle finger to indicated air quotations marks.

"I really am sorry, and by the time you WATCH this, you'd have already had the surgery... I'll try and wish you luck before then, and please tell me 'WAZZZZZZZZZZZZZA?!' or something, 'cause you're still so quiet, and I want to know about you, tell me about you, pretty girl," Tidus laughed again, and with a wink, told her he had to prepared for the game, as the stands were filling up.

Yuna contained the urge to burst out laughing. "Pretty Girl" was a term used by her father, Braska, and then teasingly used by Tidus, ever since. She missed him, too, quite more than he probably expected... but then, the game had started, breaking Yuna's train of thought.

The Abes let the Goers have the ball first, since they were clearly overconfident. The Goers didn't even get _near_ the goal at first, but when one of Bickson's defense grabbed the blitzball from Wakka, he scored, and Bickson did an overagressive tackle to Wakka, and was fouled and taken out of the game.

After that, it was _on._ The Abes scored over and over again, it seemed, until it was to one, and the goalie shot the ball across to the other goal, and made it, which were against the rules. The Abes got a free throw, and it was seven to one, Abes. After another agressive act from the Goers, one of the Abes was taken out of the game due to an injury. At this point, the Goers had scored three more goals, (seven to four) but Yuna knew Tidus would break through. Inside him, resided passion Yuna couldn't describe. It was a heart felt goal of some sort.

Yuna was most definitely right.

After break, Wakka was switched to defense, and thus there was no need to worry about the Goers scoring anymore goals. Yuna grinned proudly, as Tidus and another Abe named Darius (OC) scored the last three goals of the game. Yuna beamed.

Yuna watched people leave the stands for several minutes, after the game. She was beginning to wonder if it was over, when a sudden movement came in the sphere, indicating that it was being picked up.

Blackness.

Only a second later, there was a scene that Yuna recognized as the stadium from the behind. Not many people went there, as you couldn't see the game well at all. However, she knew it from constantly meeting Lulu back there after other games. A few seconds went by, and then a Besaid accent came out of the blue.

"The coast is clear, ya?"

Yuna's heart felt a jolt. She was terribly fascinated by the fact that Wakka wanted to talk to her, but she kind of wanted to hear from Tidus again, too.

Yuna saw a spiked head of red-orange hair appear and sit infront of the sphere as Tidus had done, but Wakka was much more... _structured._ Graceful when it came to sitting down... She braced herself, and listened on.

"Help, Yuna!"

Yuna gasped, taken a little aback. She was expecting this, but so suddenly, and desperately? Not Wakka--they'd only just met.

However, it was Wakka, with the thick, heavy accent, in a plea for aid.

"I don't know what to do! When I talked to Lulu before the game, I froze up, ya? Ohh--" the read head dropped his head in his hands. "She thought I was ill, or something, and then started worrying about me--" a groan escaped his lips. It souned agonizing. Yuna couldn't help feeling sympathetic at this state. Lulu didn't realize the signs?

"What is it, Wakka?" Yuna asked, actually more to herself than Wakka.

Obviously, Wakka wasn't talking to her, but he did answer.

"She started talking to me, and I felt really happy, but really queasy, too! And she thought I was sick or soemthing, and she told me good luck, and went away--" There was a sigh from Wakka, and then his voice oddly sounded more graceful. It was calm, and it was like it was floating on water.

"And then, when I got poisoned by that _ass_, Bickson, Lulu was about to cry, and it felt so bad, and I'm not sure what it was, and I said, 'I can't play unless you stop crying,' and she kissed my cheek!" his face was cheerful again, and he pointed to his right cheek, where Yuna ssumed he had been kissed.

"I... can't talk to anyone else. Rikku's loud. Tidus is humorous, Lulu's the problem, ya? You're honest, and you're trustworthy, so, shhhh!" Wakka leaned very close to the sphere.

"Don't tell anyone, okay? Thanks, you're a pal, ya? Oh! And the surgery, good luck, Yuna! I look forward to seeing you--" he added in a whisper, "and hearing your advice!"

Then, suddenly, the Besaid red-head stood up, and Yuna could see Tidus coming around the corner. Luckily, he was talking to some other person, when Wakka picked it up, and ran over to Tidus just in time.

"'ey, Tidus! I-been lookin' for you, ya? This sphere, you can't just leave it around, you know?" he smiled, "I was trying to find you, and give it you, man!"

"Oh," said Tidus, "I was looking for YOU, 'cause Lulu said you walked off with it."

"Ha ha," Wakka responded, "imagine that, ya?"

"Yeah," laughed Tidus, drying his platinum blonde hair with a towel, "Oh, Wakka--look, you left it on... here..."

Blackness.

Yuna waited for a little while, to make sure that it was over, and it ended up having been finished. It was altogether the perfect thing to cheer her up. It worked like magic.

"OW!"

Yuna cocked her head to the bathroom door, and was rather freaked out. "Rikku--?" she asked, alarmed.

The door swung open, and Rikku's body appeared. "That was the HUGEST pimple I ever saw!"

Yuna looked relieved, and she knew it. All too relieved, she thought, giggling to herself.

By the time Rikku came out of the bathroom with pus from her forehead oozing most revoltingly, Yuna decided that she wouldn't tell Rikku anything about the sphere yet--as Wakka said, she was kind of worried about what Tidus would say if she'd told the hyperactive Al Bhed.

She ran a finger through her hair, patiently, when Rikku (wiped her head) bounded towards the door. Yuna, however, pulled the covers up to her chin. Cid soon came back, and kissed her forehead as if she was still just a little kid. Rikku smiled hopefully, and waved. They both left, and Yuna turned on the television. Though, now, same as ever, she didn't watch it.

She put a finger to her chin, pondering Tidus' sudden confession, and what to do about Wakka's sad problem, but her mind kept wondering about what Tidus would say to her at school. She thought uneasily, _he better not just ignore me after that!_ But, Yuna knew, after the doctor gave her the medication for her fevers, that her and her two accompanying family mates would be home in time for school tommorrow.

Yuna was repulsed at the television shows, and was getting hot under the covers, now. She put the sphere back in her pocket (with much ado), and paced around the room for a long time. Finally, the busy young doctor gave her the pills to take, and Yuna, most relieved, was allowed to leave St. Yevon's Mercy.

**Hey, youguys, what did you think of this "bridge chapter," hm? I rather liked it, but of course, I don't know about you. ; I worked hard on this, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing. I'll love you even more if you leave a review!**

**...So you can tell me what YOU thought!**


	5. Reunited

**Hey! I really liked this chapter. It's starting to get better, I think. Um... not really much to say here, but I hope you like it! And thank you, thank you, thank you, to those that reviewed! I love youguys!**

**Enjoy!**

_Chapter Five: **Reunited**_

Yuna had accidentally awoken an hour earlier than the desired wake up time, troubled about the upcoming event... school.

She almost felt as if that was a reason to cry in itself. The bus ride to school was just as deadly as school. Yet, she was excited just as much as scared to death. How would Tidus react? He probably knew she watched the sphere, so... what would be the result of that? Yuna turned off her alarm clock. She knew it was a useless attempt trying to go back to bed. Yuna knew there were other complications, too... what about Wakka? His problems with Lulu seemed desperate, but how was she supposed to know what to do? Still, as hard as it seemed, Yuna couldn't bring herself to let Wakka down. She'd sifted through many large problems before. It was just, Yuna had been ignored for a whole year at the Luca Instituion, but, now she was expected to help and care for people who never even bothered to say hi. Yuna sighed.

After getting to her feet on the carpeted floor, Yuna went over to her dresser, and picked up a comb. She ran it delicately through her hair, and then placed it back where she had retrieved it. The time was 6:45 AM. Yuna could hardly be anymore anxious than she was now.

Yuna dressed quickly in some jeans and a long sleeved shirt that said, "I Love Besaid, ya?" given to her by Lulu, who had bought it when Yuna was fifteen, which was when they had moved to Luca. It had been another sad departure, of course.

Walking downstairs, she heard Rikku blow drying her hair in Cid's bathroom (there were no outlets in Yuna and Rikku's bathroom), and she walked into the kitchen. There was a note on the refridgerator, which Yuna had told Cid to write so she would not forget her fever medication. It read:

"_Yuna,_

_You're medicine's on the counter--make sure Rikku don't eat none."_

Yuna took one long, skinny pill with a large glass of water, and then reached for the Cocoa Puffs, but didn't pour herself any. When Rikku walked in, she took the Cocoa Puffs off of the table, poured herself some, and Yuna some orange juice. The brunette accepted it appreciatively, but didn't drink it.

"Yunie, what's up?" Rikku asked concernedly, eating some of her Cocoa Puffs.

"Nothing, why?" asked Yuna, a little too quickly, she thought.

"Well," said Rikku, "you haven't eaten anything."

Yuna shrugged. "Just not hungry, I suppose."

"You're supposed to eat food with that pill, you know," Rikku retorted matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, I know," Yuna took a reluctant sip of her orange juice. There were many minutes of silence, and Yuna kept throwing eager glances at the clock. After the twenty-seventh time she had done this, it was time to head out to the bus.

The sky was a pale gray, and they could hear the yellow bus whirring to Yuna and Rikku's house. It opened it's long transparent doors, and Rikku got on. Yuna was just about to step up to follow her, when--

"Yuna!"

Yuna's heart jumped unexpectedly, and turned to Tidus bouncing up to her side.

"Oh--Tidus--wha--?"

"Hey!" came the impatient voice of the bus driver, "I got a schedule to keep!"

Before Yuna could think, she stepped back from the bus, and when the bus closed it's doors and started moving, Yuna had only snapped to realization.

"Wait!" Yuna called, but she knew he wouldn't wait.She saw Rikku goggling at her and Tidus, and she knew she was growing red with immense embarassment.

"Yuna!" came Tidus' voice in her ears, "it's warmed up quite a bit, and I thought we should walk!"

"Together?" Yuna asked a little dumbfoundedly.

"Well--yeah," laughed the platinum blonde, making Yuna blush.

"Oh, um, okay," responded Yuna, now thinking that this was the only way to school since the bus was gone.

"How far is it, exactly?" asked Yuna uncomfortably, thinking of the thirty minute bus ride.

"Not far from your house--" Tidus looked up at her for a long while, and then said, "since your stop is one of the firsts, the bus has to go around picking people up, and then it comes back around and to school."

"I see," said Yuna nervously. There was a silence as they pressed forward on their walk. When it was broken, Yuna felt awkward.

"Did you--uh--watch the sphere?" asked Tidus. Yuna opened her mouth, but no sound came out, so she just nodded.

"Oh."

"Yeah..."

"So, then you know that I'm sorry, and... err... why?"

"Yes."

"Okay. So, are you... uh, still mad at me?"

"Mad? Of course, Tidus!"

"Huh--?" he looked strangely surprised to Yuna. Obviously, he had not been expecting that answer.

"You've been walking around, ignoring me for the past month, and I haven't seen you in four years--I'm devastated! How did you think I would feel?"

Yuna looked at Tidus. His eyes were filled with guilt, and she felt a pang of the rememberance of her past. She continued.

"You know how painful it was when I saw you for the first time at this school after _four_ years, and you just walked passed me?" she felt a terrible stab at her heart, but sucked it up. "How could you do that to me, Tidus? How? I'm hurt... just... really hurt."

Tidus was still silent.

"And then, you sat on a desk right infront of me in social studies, and started kissing Dona... right infront of me?"

"Dona?" Tidus asked, raising his eyebrows. "Dona?"

Yuna blushed furiously. "Well, yes--"

"Would you rather me be kissing you?"

Yuna's heart jumped violently. "What?"

Tidus smiled. This was the flirty, cheerful Tidus she knew, who knew how to make her feel better, even if she was murderous.

"What?" Yuna asked again--just to clarify what had been said.

"I said, 'would your rather me be kissing you?' Because, I'd rather kiss you than Dona, too."

"Oh!" Yuna exclaimed nervously, and Tidus laughed. Soon it contaminated Yuna, and she giggled.

"I can't believe you've got a girlfriend, Tidus! What did I miss?"

"Not much..." he trailed off. "You've grown, you know... it's weird... You've got the same face, but you're taller, and... uhh... taller!" he laughed out loud. Yuna began pondering what he'd said on the sphere. He did seem to mean it earnestly. She stood on her tip-toes, and pressed her lips to his cheek. She heard his laughter abruptly stop, and for a second, she thought she could stand there for eternity, but she moved, and looked at his face--which looked as if it had been frozen in place. She laughed.

"You've gotten taller, too, I see."

"Thanks," he croaked, and for once, Yuna felt as if he was the nervous one.

"I'm not mad, Tidus, just a little hurt, still..."

Then, Yuna felt his arms around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him, and wrapping her in a hug with him. Yuna couldn't keep back the tears, now. They all came spilling on to Tidus' chest, at the thought of how long they'd been apart... and he just hugged her tighter.

"Shh, shh, shh... it's okay now, Yuna, shh, it's okay."

She wrapped her arms around Tidus, and felt like she should've stayed that way to make up for the time they'd been apart. When Tidus let go of her, she felt all alone again, but her tears subsided.

"Will you leave again?" asked Yuna, shaking her head worriedly. She knew she must look clingy, but she didn't care. Tidus smiled concernedly.

"Never."

The two were now at arms length, when Tidus pointed to a large building. It took a few moments for Yuna to realize it was the back of their school. Delightedly, they ran around to the front of the school, Yuna getting tired much faster than Tidus, and running much slower than him, too, but, just like when they were kids, he'd come to make sure she was okay.

The two were at school much earlier than the bus, and sat with some other early kids, including Dona.

"Tidus!" she'd squeaked at the top of her lungs. Yuna thought she might've died from squeaking so loudly, but she just shook her head.

"Hey," Tidus laughed casually. Yuna didn't hate Dona... but she was still jealous. Protective of him. She was concerned if someone like Dona deserved the perfect person that Tidus was, and she felt reluctance in her own heart, too. She hoped, now that he was reuninted with his girlfriend, that he wouldn't pretend he didn't know her anymore. She didn't want her feelings to shatter into a million pieces, so that she was in a state of hopelessly clinging to memories.

"Dona!" the other high voice, indicating a lag-by of Dona's prescence, echoed through the lonely thoughts that were popping into Yuna's head, one by one. A skinny blonde girl with a considerably pale complexion, and make up that made her look astonishingly worse, ran up to Dona, and grabbed her hands, jumping up and down.

"Guess what?" she shouted in such a high voice that Yuna didn't think it was very decipherable until she set her brain into translating the language of irritating, high, bat screeches.

"What?" responded Dona, apparently energy flowing through the hands they were holding.

"I've got a boyfriend!" she yelled, climaxing in loudness.

"REALLY? Wait... I thought you were going out with that one guy--"

"No, he was just a temporary. I bet he'll understand if I just call him..." Leblanc too a cellphone out of her flashy fake fur coat pocket, and pressed three buttons. "He's speed dial fifty-seven... I am so deleting that later..."

Yuna couldn't help feeling bad for the apparent temporary boyfriend of Leblanc's. She was being quite the snob! The phone continued to dial for a few more seconds, and the air seemed to grow tense for Yuna when Leblanc smirked.

"Hello? Hi, baby, it's Leblanc. I'm sorry, love... but I have to break up with you." There were loud words shouted, but Yuna couldn't tell what had been said. Leblanc's jaw dropped, and a dial tone could be distinguished, meaning Leblanc had just been hung up on.

"What happened?" Dona asked.

Her blonde friend shrugged. "He called me a dumbass whore--what?" asked Leblanc to Dona's shocked reaction. "It's not like I haven't been called that before."

"That's true," Dona said, giggling with her. Yuna began to wish desperately that the bell would ring. She searched Tidus' wrists for a watch, but didn't see one.

"Tidu-u-u-u-us! I missed you! Thank you for bringing me the sphere. You totally kicked the other team's ass!" Dona threw her arms around Tidus' neck, and much to Yuna's shock, forcibly threw herself onto him, and began kissing him. Apparently Tidus was taken aback by this, because he staggered backwards, and Yuna watched what Dona considered an intimate kiss. Tidus, much to Yuna's terrible disheartenment, kissed her back for a couple of seconds, then pulled back, exclaiming, "Yuna's sphere! Remember?"

Yuna blushed a fearsome magenta, before collapsing on a bench outside of the unopened school. She had almost forgotten about how she offered to tape the game for Dona. She hadn't even realized at the time that Dona had thanked Tidus instead of herself. Yuna figured she'd forgotten due to the fact that she didn't actually go to the game herself. Still, Dona had forgotten Yuna already. It made Yuna feel even more like a nobody. Unpopular, and lonely.

"Dona, you can't be serious? Dude, where's your brain? Yuna?" he pointed to Yuna, and Yuna smiled. Dona gasped with recognition.

"Why're you here so early? Your bus comes much later," Dona analyzed.

_That's irrelevant,_ Yuna thought sourly.

"Speaking of which, Tidus, you ride that same bus! You two got here around the same time! Did you walk together?"

_How very smart of you, _Yuna though sarcastically, bu tthen felt rather guilty, and regretted her own thoughts.

"Yes, I can tell you walked, Yuna, dear, you're awfully windblown." Dona put on a face that was supposed to look like mock innocence, but instead looked like distorted, evil mischief. Yuna instantly regretted her previous regret.

"Oh..." was all she could manage to choke out, "...sorry..."

"Why're you aplogizing Yuna?" Leblanc asked, looking at Yuna in disgust. "Oh God, she's probably never been in bed with anyone but her mommy."

Yuna felt her heart jumping around in her chest. This was the first time Dona and Leblanc had targeted Yuna as an individual. Of course she'd been targeted before, but everyone who wasn't popular was a dork. "I..." Yuna started, forgetting momentarily what Dona and Leblanc had mocked her about.

"Hey, Dona, get off of her case, she did you a freakin' favor. Why're you being such a bitch?"

Dona looked harrassed. Yuna figured that she had expected Tidus to back up _her_ views on this... "trash."

"Tidus, why're you standing up for this dork? And why'd you walk with her?" Dona's suspicion was increasing the more Tidus mentioned or protected Yuna.

"Dude, Dona, what the hell? Just 'cause she's not a prostitute, she's suddenly a dork?" Tidus, Yuna could see, was protecting her again, like he'd done in the past. Her aspect for him increased even more, and she found herself breathless. "I walked with her because--"

Yuna stood up, and strided over to Tidus and Dona, a feeling telling her she should intervene overwhelmed her, and she found herself finishing Tidus' sentence for him, so there would be no trouble in his healthy relationship with Dona.

"He walked with me, because he felt bad for me, since I was sick, and I missed the bus. He's too modest to say so, but he didn't want to be seen hanging around me, so we went around the back of the school--" Yuna shrugged, and figuring she was on a roll, continued with her little lie. "He wouldn't stop talking about you either. He kept saying how he loved your long hair, and your dark skin--" Yuna immediately realized she had neither long hair, nor dark skin, and was blushing immensely as the bell rang.

"Really?" Dona said, walking closer to Tidus, twirling her hair in her hands. "You said that about me? You're so sweet." Dona kissed Tids, but Tidus looked concernedly at Yuna, and she smiled at him, before heading into the school, not having noticed that the buses had arrived. When she walked through the door, she turned back to see what Tidus had done afterwards, and she saw that his eyes were closed, and he was kissing Dona back. Though it was not as passionately as Dona was kissing him, his hands were on her waist, and it made Yuna's heart sink painstakingly low.

She forced another smile. Oh, how good she was at hiding her emotions... Yuna entered through another door, and turned left. Her locker was sharply on the end, right there, number 540. She couldn't rid her mind of the image of Tidus and Yuna together. She hadn't expected to feel this way about Tidus four years ago, when he left, but, undoubtedly... it was how she felt.

Yuna had left her books at school, since she had went home early the last day she was at school, and she hoped she hadn't missed anything too vital to her grades, especially with her social studies project. She moaned. Which, was with Tidus... if only he'd understand how she felt, everything would be okay... Yuna unlocked her combination lock. She pulled out her history book, and a notebook, dreading the class that she would be going to now.

Social studies wasn't that far from Yuna's locker. Luckily, a lot of her classes were like that. It was the way the Luca Institution was organized. Still, Yuna wished she had more time to think when she walked up the stairs, and down the large hall to Social Studies. Tidus hadn't arrived yet. She wasn't relieved like she thought she'd be. He was probably still kissing Dona... probably oblivious to the fact that the bell was going to ring in about five minutes.

"Good Morning, Yuna, hope you're feeling well?" Mr. Auron asked. "You haven't missed much, but considering certain circumstances, your group has been given an extension of three days. Your report is due next Friday."

Yuna was surprised Sir Auron, or Mr. Auron hadn't waited for the answer to the first question. She smiled. "Okay, sir, thank you."

He nodded. Just at that moment, Dona came wandering in, as if she was the goddess of the school, and Tidus soon followed casually, right as the bell rang.

"Saaaafe!" Tidus exclaimed.

"It's luck, merely luck, Tidus. GET ORGANIZED! And go sit down!"

Tidus nudged Yuna's shoulder gently with a godly smile that made Yuna wonder, _how could he possibly act as if nothing had happened?_ Yuna supposed he made out with Dona subconsciously.

"We're supposed to sit with our groups, Yuna," Tidus said, and Yuna followed, begrudgingly hurt that he hadn't noticed something was wrong.

"Yaibal and Clasko got moved for a day, but when you didn't come back the next day, he went ahead and moved them permenantly. I was supposed to move, but he said that since we were so close, he'd let us work outside of school--"

"So close?" Yuna thought she was unfairly being rude to Tidus. After all, she'd set him and Dona up for that kiss in the first place.

"Yeah, we grew up together, hello? I even know when you started your period."

"TIDUS!" Yuna whispered harshly, slapping a hand over his mouth. She turned crimson. She knew it, too. She knew she was crimson, and she blsuhed even more. She saw that there was no shock on Tidus' face as something wet suddenly covered her hand--Tidus' salivia.

By this point, Yuna was so embarassed, she though she would pass out... literally.

"January first," he said winking at Yuna, and laughing that perfect laugh. He watched Yuna look for somewhere to wipe her hand, and Yuna saw him lift out his sleeve. Yuna had felt his breath on her hand, and now... his spit was on her hand. He's just licked her hand! She wiped it, absolutely humiliated, on his long sleeved shirt.

"Works every time... you were like twelve, actually--"

"Tidus!" Yuna's face was burning hot, and she knew it was a deep shade of red. "You don't just talk about things like--like--my--my--"

"Period? Hey--!" Tidus saw Yuna's hand shoot up again. "I _will_ lick your hand."

Yuna bit her lip. She was so embarassed. "Tidus! Be quiet!" whispered Yuna harshly.

"Right," whispered Tidus, "It was January First, New Years Day, you were twelve--"

"Tidus, why do you have to remember that stuff?! How do you even know that?" Yuna feared that, soon, she would melt into the desk.

"It's my job to embarass you with that kind of stuff, pretty girl," he stuck out his tongue at Yuna.

"Stop calling me that," Yuna said, as she adored his face sitting across from her, sticking out his tongue. She knew she could talk with him about anything, but, she was too nervous to!

"But, it's true, Yuna," he said through puppy dog eyes, "and plus, your dad liked me calling you that."

Yuna was taken aback that Tidus had mentioned Braska, but she giggled, anywho. Braska always laughed when Tidus called her that.

"As for me knowing the date--the exact one, may I add--your mom called my mom, who told my dad, who I overheard, actually."

Yuna couldn't help giggling at this point, either.

"You remembered all of that stuff?" Yuna asked again.

"It's my job."

"Thank you." Yuna smiled. By the look of the shock on his face, she'd surprised him. Really, though, she was glad he remembered things... even if it was so personal.

-

-

Back when they were kids, Tidus and Yuna were both popular. Especially Yuna. She was gorgeous, and sweet... like an angel. Yuna could always tell Tidus was a big flirt, and he hadn't realized at the time, but when more and more people told him so, he perfected his technique. Get to know a person deeply, personally. He was always that way with Yuna. Open, and protective, and other girls told him he was flirting with her. He hadn't realized that was what flirting had meant. He wasn't hitting on her, was he?

People always asked, when he was younger, if he thought of Yuna as his sister. The answer was always the same. "I dunno."

He honestly didn't want to be a brother to Yuna. That meant, when she was eighteen years old, she could marry someone that wasn't him. He figured that brothers don't act that way. Yuna was always special to Tidus, though. She really was an angel. Innocent, and perfect. Right when he'd thought he'd had her, she would always surprise him. Always.

She was so comforting. He could be himself, not worrying about impressing her, because she was already a part of him. He wanted to make her laugh, and embarass and impress her, because that's what he did when they were kids. Yet, she still managed to surprise him. He tried to shock her this time, by talking about her period, a subject she was definitely touchy about, apparently.

Yuna had been extremely humiliated infront of him, but she'd said thanks... she was still happy he'd made her laugh. He loved it when she laughed. He decided that he would ask her a more surprising question again.

"So-o-o-o, Yuna, how many boyfriends have you had?"

Yuna turned that nice tomato color Tidus liked to see spread all over her.

"That's irrelevant to this Social Studies project," said Yuna, hiding her face.

"That many, huh?" Tidus winked, and Yuna cringed.

"Oh, Tidus, no--none."

Tidus' eyes were widening. He knew it. His jaw was probably dropping, as well. "Yuna--no boyfriends?"

"No, Tidus, now stop humiliating me, and let's work." Tidus watched her put her pen to the paper, but didn't write anything.

"You're telling me, that glam, popular, _pretty girl_ Yuna, in four years, hasn't had a boyfriend?"

"Tidus, I said you were embarassing me. Now stop it."

Tidus wasn't trying to humiliate her at the given moment. He was just too shocked. Boys were always asking her out, before.

"What happened, Yuna? You're just as beautiful as you were before."

Yuna looked up at him, still red in the face.

"Not to mention, you've got bigger--you know--" he put a hand infront of his chest and pushed his hand outward, to indicate growth.

"Tidus!" Yuna dropped her pencil, and crossed her arms, suddenly self-conscious. He couldn't help snickering.

"Why're you so embarassed, Yuna? Probably nothing I haven't seen before."

Yuna's head dropped onto the desk, hopelessly. She knew she must be melting into the desk, at last. It was true, though. He'd watched her grow up. The more likely he knew he her ups and downs, qualities, and misqualities.

"Hey, come on, there's nothing you're not telling me, is there? Who do you like, now?"

He watched her delicate shoulders shoot up to her ears, and she sat up. "No-nobody!"

Tidus snickered. "Yeah, and I'm supposed to believe that?"

"Yes, you are!" Yuna, suddenly noticing her arms were not crossed, crossed them. "I don't like anybody!"

"Uh huh, right."

"Tidus!"

"You haven't had any boyfriends?"

"No..." Yuna groaned, "Really."

Tidus was beginning to become more uncomfortable with Yuna's uncomfortableness. He bit his lip, looking at her strained face.

"Hey, Yuna, loosen up. I'm not Wakka or somebody, okay? I've known you forever!" Tidus smiled, and Yuna dropped her hands on her desk. Tidus laughed. "'sides, I bet you know loads of stuff about me that no one else does!"

"Yeah, like the fact that you wet the bed until you were seven, on your first kiss, you cut your tongue on the girl's braces, and you had your first wet dream when you were ten?"

Tidus nearly fell out of the chair, choking on his own spit. "How do you know THAT?"

Yuna giggled.

**Heh, I thought this was a really fun chapter, actually. Hee hee. I hope it wasn't too inappropriate... I didn't think so, really... was it? I thought it was kind of funny. Well, it was longer than usual chapters, so I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it! Please leave a review! Thankies!**

**Miko**


	6. A Sickening Reality

**Hiii! I just wanted to say, thank you all for the reviews, it makes me really happy when I see them! Though, every writer wishes for more... Also, I wanted to warn all of my readers, thus forth that further chapters gaze more into the minds of teenage guys. Hormones, and stuff--imagery. Heh heh. Tidus really isn't **_**that **_**perverted. **_**That**_** perverted. **_**That**_** perverted. HAHA, well, don't worry about him thinking anything "foul" in this chapter, it's more chapter seven... and a lot more in chapter eight. Nothing too bad, though, that's why it's rated Teen for safe. It's nothing bad, honest.**

**Also, I give you permission to murder me for the late update. At first, I was typing it, and things were hectic, and I couldn't find time to type it, then I lost my notebook, and I couldn't update! I was like, "What is this?!" I'm glad youguys are sticking with me, though. It means a lot. It really does, and... I hope this chapter makes up for the wait.**

**Enjoy!**

_Chapter Six: __**A Sickening Reality**_

Yuna was so embarassed. She told herself so, over and over again. His beautiful tan face, and his layers of platinum blonde hair, overwhelming her. She was gald that she'd caught him off guard about wetting the bed, first kisses, and wet dreams, too, but, she couldn't help remembering that Tidus had been looking at her _chest._ It made her feel uncomfortable, but in a way that she secretly liked. Tidus wasn't ignoring her, anymore. Maybe they could actually be friends again. She didn't know how to say this, and thought it would be unwise to tell him, anyway. Maybe he would start to evade her. Maybe she was too clingy.

"Yuna, is something wrong? You've been staring at the desk for most of ten minutes. Did I... did I say something wrong?"

Yuna looked up at him and giggled, flashing him a smile.

-

-

Tidus was beginning to feel uneasy. Was he being too familiar with her? He didn't like the sight of her sad. It made him feel increasingly guilty, and he just couldn't stand it.

"Yuna, is something wrong? Did I... did I say something wrong?"

He watched Yuna raise her head, and then he heard her giggling. As she lifted her head, a wave of the scent of her hair drifted over towards him. Tidus nearly fell out of his chair for the second time during that class. The smell of her hair made him feel all fluttery inside, and he could swear his heart skipped a beat. Yuna smiled at him, and he gulped, unsurely. _What's wrong with me? I can't speak..._ Her smile seemed to glow inside of him, making him feel like he could float. He figured he must be the color Yuna was a second ago.

"Tidus, thanks for being so concerned for me."

"Y-yeah." Tidus cleared his throat. He laughed, but he knew it sounded forced, because Yuna was looking at him curiously.

"Tidus?" she asked, on the verge of feeling worried.

"Tiduuus!" Tidus' heart did a double-take when Dona came striding over. She sat on his lap. "I was wondering if you had a pencil I could borrow?"

"I've got a pencil here!" shouted a very frustrated Yaibal, who had been previously moved to Dona's group.

"Piss off!" Dona responded, "I want a pencil from Tidus."

Tidus was only half listening to Dona. He hadn't noticed it before, but Yuna's intense expression change just hadn't been noticed before. She looked dramatically stricken, but it seemed like, instantaneously, it had changed to an impassive, careless, cover up face, and she leaned over in her chair to pick up the pencil she had dropped. Tidus' stomach flattened. Was this the way she always felt, when she saw him and Dona together?

An anvil of guilt suddenly weighed Tidus' conscience down.

"Tidus, baby, do you have a pencil I could borrow?"

Tidus saw Yuna lifting her head, and their eyes met briefly. Tidus' stomach did a backflip, and he tore his gaze away from hers, looking at the classroom floor. All of a sudden, be felt a hand grabbing his thigh in an area that was a little too close for comfort.

"Whoa! Hey, jeez, what're you doing, Dona?" Tidus asked, incredulously. He pushed Dona off of his lap, unable to believe what she was doing. He asked again, just to make sure she'd heard. "What do you think you're doing?"

Dona looked a little surprised at Tidus' reaction. It wasn't the ecstatic one she had been waiting for. "Nothing out of the ordinary, honey--"

"I don't have any extra _pencils_, sorry," Tidus snapped. He could hear Yuna's gasp of surprise. It wasn't just for Yuna, though. He wouldn't be used as Dona's play toy.

"How about you come over after school, and we buy you some new pencils?"

Tidus scoffed, disbelievingly. When would she give up? "Actually, I can't. I have to finish my project with Yuna."

"Yuna?" Dona repeated, "why're you acting so affectionate towards her, Tidus? She's _such_ a dork!"

"She really isn't, actually..."

"Dona!" Mr. Auron's voice seemed to boom throughout the classroom. Tidus had just realized that the whole classroom was watching the scene amusedly, some snickering, others laughing, and some let go of low whistles. Either way, it was entertainment. Now the teacher had seen, and caught on to why the kids were distracted. "Dona, guess what? You will recieve another two hour with me, AND an in school suspension for sexual harrassment!"

"But--"

"Sit DOWN, Dona."

Tidus didn't smirk, but he felt glad to have her away from him. He was surprised that she didn't make a remark, but she did stop to glower at Yuna, who, shockingly, raised her eyebrows at Dona, as if daring her to do something.

Tidus watched Dona walk up to her group, more distate forming at the thought of her. He shook his head, and then looked back at Yuna.

"Aah!" Tidus shouted, moving backwards in his chair. Yuna was smiling at him, apparently in deep thought. "W-what?" he said, remembering how angelic she looked.

"You're so sweet."

Tidus opened his mouth to retort in order to save his manly dignity, but found himself unable to do so. Not with Yuna just staring at him, like that. Her eyes locked with his, and he just thought of how beautiful they were. He couldn't relax. He was tensing up the more he even though about relaxing. _I can't act like this--she's like a sister to me..._ Tidus' heart sunk. _But I don't want her to be..._

"Can I ask you an honest question?" Yun asked him, taking him aback.

"Yeah, yeah." He watched Yuna look over at Dona who was glowering at Yaibal, and he wondered what the question would be about.

"Tidus, have you... slept with Dona?"

"What?" Tidus asked, startled that she would've wanted to know such a thing. _Wow, Yuna's mind was in the gutter... wow._

"Please, have you?" The look in her eyes told him he had to tell her.

"No."

"Really?"

"Y-yeah. Why, are you glad?" Tidus teased.

"I am."

Tidus watched Yuna. _She was glad I didn't sleep with Dona...?_ he blinked. _I wonder if... nah..._ Tidus continued to watch her, then leaned forward, so that their noses were nearly touching. "Can I ask YOU an honest question?"

"Yeah," said Yuna, who seemed breathless.

"What's your bra size?" Tidus asked seriously, though he was still smiling. He loved watching Yuna's expression change. She pulled back blushing, and then said, "Stop thinking about my chest, pervert!" Tidus laughed as she said this.

"I'm not the one worrying about who _you've_ slept with," Tidus retorted, and watched her face unravel into another three shades of red. At this, a strange desire to kiss her came over him, and he jolted backwards. _I have to stop thinking like this!_ he thought, annoyingly. _I have to... she's just a friend._

"So," Yuna said, breaking through Tidus' thoughts, "I guess I'm coming over to your house for Social Studies."

Tidus laughed. "Yeah, I guess you are," he said, attempting to be a flirt, again.

"I don't know where you live--"

"Don't worry about that, pre--" Tidus choked on the words he was going to say. Pretty girl. For some reason, his throat decided to close up at that point, and he had to pass it off as a cough, and cover with saying her name. She apparently didn't notice.

"Okay," she giggled.

"I have your phone number, so don't worry about keeping in contact."

"Oh--yeah."

Tidus grinned. Yuna hadn't changed at all. At that moment, the bell decided to ring, and Yuna stood up, slowly followed by Tidus.

"I'll see you in third hour, beautiful," said Tidus winking at her. She was positively sure that Tidus was just messing with her, but he was positively sure that he absolutely was not.

-

-

Yuna walked through the hallways, feeling a considerable amount better. She'd talked to Tidus openly, and Dona had gotten a detention, not to mention an in-school suspension. She could hardly believe the day could get any better. She walked into second hour, hoping it would speed by as fast as possible, though she doubted it. Second hour was communication arts with Logos. Nobody like the class, but Logos was somewhat a fun, forgiving teacher, who cut the kids a lot of slack. Today, he didn't start with his usual quote or poem, but instead said, "Class, today we have the honor of gaining a new classmate!"

Yuna looked up at Logos, expecting to see the new kids standing up there, but he was not. Before Yuna could look around, Mr. Logos said, "Please stand up, new student!"

Ther was a shuffling sound near Yuna, and she turned to see--

"Tidus?"

He turned to look at her. His face looked a lot like Tidus', but his hair looked darker, and his cheekbones were higher. His eyes were also darker, as well, and jaw seemed harder--more square than Tidus', whose features were softer. Surprisingly, this new student's skin tone was noticeably lighter than Tidus' very tan complexion. His eyes looked friendly, just as much as Tidus', however.

"No, common mistake. I'm Shuyin Grayer--Tidus' twin brother."

Yuna gaped at him. "Shuyin?"

Shuyin nodded with a "duh" type of look. He looked back up at Logos, who was delighted that Yuna apparently knew him, already. Unfortunately, Shuyin hadn't picked up on the recognition.

"Now, Shuyin," said Logos, "why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself?"

"Well, I lived in Bevelle for about twelve years, then my dad sent me to a school in Djose to study for blitzball. After about three years of that, I was transferred to Macalania, and now here, the blitzball capital--Luca!"

"Fascinating--so, you're a good blitzer, eh? So if your brother. You should try out for the team this Friday, afterschool."

"Thanks, sir, I'll look into that." Shuying sat down, and as Logos began talking about emotions and poetry, Yuna began questioning Shuyin.

"Hey, Shuyin," whispered Yuna, "Do you remember me? I'm Yuna!"

Shuyin took a moment to register the name, then his eyes widened, and he silently laughed. "Dude, you are SERIOUS! You're Yuna! I didn't even recognize you at first. I thought you looked familiar..."

Yuna laughed at his recognition. Mr. Logos didn't notice.

"Dude, you got cute, too. Did you score with my brother?"

Yuna flushed fiercely. She didn't know which part to be more embarrassed about. The fact that Shuyin had called her cute, or the part about "scoring" with Tidus.

"We-we're not dating, if that's what you mean," said Yuna, turning pink. She could see Shuyin raising his eyebrows at her.

"What? I thought youguys were in _love_, as much as youguys spent your time together. Tidus had the hugest crush on you, too..."

"R-really?" Yuna hoped she didn't sound too happy, or nervous for that matter. He stared at Yuna.

"I wasn't around you as much as Tidus, but, I knew you for years. Twelve years, before I moved to Djose. How are you? Do you want me to get Tidus to call you?"

"I'm fine, and, um, no thank you." Yuna's face was heating to a level she never thought it would heat, today. It had to be a record.

"Mmkay, whatever you say." The two both turned around to look back at Mr. Logos, but Yuna's mind was only half listening. She didn't think Shuyin was listening at all, because he was snoring. Yuna giggled, and waited for the bell to ring for third hour.

Mr. Logos seemed to be talking extra slow, today. Yuna didn't think it was possible to talk on so droningly. Leblanc was whispering something to one of her popular goons, who laughed when Leblanc did, so they wouldn't get kicked out off Leblanc's top ten friend list. They called her names behind her back. They weren't _real_ friends. Everyone knew that. However, in highschool, none of that seemed to matter. It was all about being in with the right people. They called it getting "the heel," when Leblanc ditched anybody. Yuna was grateful Dona wasn't in most of her classes, but her cronie, Leblanc, was in a few of them. When Dona became an enemy of yours, she was automatically the one to determine if you were an enemy of the school. Yuna didn't know what the outcome of knowing Tidus would have on her yet, but based on first hour's results, Dona seemed infuriated, and Yuna decided this was bad news. Really bad news.

Leblanc saw Yuna looking at her, and she made a face that said that Leblanc didn't think Yuna had the right to look at her. Yuna looked away as they began pointing, and their whispering became louder, and more deliberate. Yuna tried to block out their words, but to no avail.

"Yeah, that's her, little miss goody-goody, flirting with Tidus, when she knows he's Dona's."

"She's not nearly as pretty as Dona."

"I know! And you know, she walked with Tidus to school today, too."

"No way! That scheming little whore!"

Yuna's mouth was hanging open. Those girls--they called her something so foul? And, what had she done? Nothing! Just because she was talking with Tidus, she was now the school whore. She almost gagged at the last word. She wasn't that at all! It didn't fit her as well as Dona, or even Leblanc and her goons, who always had someone new in their beds.

The air suddenly seemed stale. She missed when he and herself were kids. They didn't have to worry about accidentally invading other people's territory, or property. She felt sick again. One day she'd been invisible to the whole student body, the next day, she was hated by every girl at the Luca Institute.

"And thus, every flower blossoms with the right words, and every lion prances at the sight of a cool day." Mr. Logos chuckled, rubbing his chin. "Class dismissed."

Every flower blossoms with the right words, and every lion prances at the thought of a cool day? Yuna figured this was probably one of Mr. Logos' jokes that weren't funny, but how much had she missed? She had been too busy worrying about her life. It was even worse than before. Yuna rushed downstairs quickly, and down the hall to science class with Mr. Mika.

Yuna sat at her usual table, waiting to see the gorgeous, or rather, childhood friend whom she was not attracted to at all, enter the classroom. She figured he would probably be late, like he almost always was. More and more people filled the classroom, and a few people, Yuna had to sadly say, "I'm very sorry, but, I'm saving this spot for someone."

She was sure they didn't care, but she still felt bad saying it. She wasn't like Dona or Leblanc. People had a right to sit where they wanted to. She stared at the door, as if willing Tidus to walk through it. It opened, and she bit her lip. She hoped she wouldn't have to turn another person down. Someone walked through the door--it wasn't Tidus. He was wearing a black shirt with khaki shorts, and he plopped right down in the seat that was reserved for Tidus.

"Don't mind if I sit here, ya?" Wakka's red hair was noticeable before Yuna even saw his face. He was very tan, and had a warm smile, but Yuna couldn't help thinking, _He's never talked to me before Tidus embarrassed him._ Yuna felt so unliked around everyone... but she sucked it up, and greeted him as he deserved.

"Um, hi, Wakka, how are you?"

"Ah, not so good, ya? You know why." He looked around over his shoulders, as if making sure nobody knew.

"Yeah. I know," Yuna said smiling.

"Have you thought of anything?"

"Er, no."

"Oh." Wakka's face seemed to fall. "Can you think of anything right now?"

"Wakka, if you asked her out, she would probably say yes."

"What if she says no?" He asked, scratching his chin.

"The only people she'd tell would be Rikku and I, and we already know."

"Yeah, but then she'll know, and she won't look at me the same way."

Yuna was fiercely reminded of herself and Tidus' relationship. It was delicate. Already rocky. She cared deeply for Tidus, but she knew he would never feel the same way. She sighed. A childhood crush had turned into a more passionate feeling.

"Please, Wakka, tell her how you feel. Please." Yuna knew she could never tell Tidus, but maybe Wakka still had a chance.

"I... I can't, ya? I can't," he responded painfully, "I--"

Just then, Wakka was interrupted by sudden very loud shouts. Yuna couldn't understand them very well, but they continuously got louder. Then, Tidus practically busted through the door, panting, and at that exact moment, the bell rang. "S-score!" he gasped out loud. A few people applauded.

"Please take your seat, Tidus, class has begun," Mr. Mika said, hunching over. He looked well over sixty, definitely a senior. He had told all students that he had nothing better to do, so he taught the group of 'incompetent monkeys' that were highschool students. Tidus jumped into a seat infront of Yuna, seeing as the one next to her was occupied.

"Well, well, well," Tidus said, "I see you've been nicely acquainted."

"Shutup, ya?" Wakka said, obviously feeling very let down. Yuna heard Tidus grumble something like, "sheesh," and she felt strangely annoyed, yet sympathetically corrupted. Why would he suspect that he could completely ignore her one day, and then expect her to be there for him with thoroughly thought over answers about everything? It was selfish.

"I'm sorry I can't help you, Wakka, I tried giving you my advice. What do you want me to say? Okay, she can't--and never will, for that matter--date you! Are you happy now, Wakka? Really?"

Wakka blushed. Yuna could tell he had expected her to suck it up, and cry later at home. She felt sorry that she had to show the more popular people individually that she wasn't a full fledged pushover, just because she was nice, polite, and so unlike the rest of the world!

"Sorry, ya?" Wakka looked away. "Jeez."

Yuna let go of an exasperated sigh. He was just so frustrating! She grabbed his broad shoulders, and attempted to shake some sense into him, slightly.

"Wakka! You--are--being--extremely--rude! I was just trying to be nice, and help you! I'm sorry if my help wasn't _good_ enough!"

"Miss Yuna."

Yuna's shoulders shot up to her ears, having heard Mr. Mika's elderly, cracking voice. She let go of Wakka's shoulders, turning a little red at the class looking at her. _Great,_ she thought, _just what I need. More enemies._

"I was just saying, a mix of sodium chloride and chlorine..."

Yuna was not having the best day. When Wakka sighed, she couldn't help but scowl. "You pompous--" Yuna didn't want to be angry, but could there be no joy in her life? Everything that started all good and well turned bad and sour. She dropped her head into her hands, her eyes feeling like they were stinging. She just wanted to get along with everybody. Why did they make it so hard?

"Yuna?" Tidus' voice made it suddenly feel worth it.

"I'm not--I mean, I'm fine," Yuna said, trying to smile, but he didn't look like he was buying it. "I'm fine," she repeated.

"Are you sure?"

"Tidus, I'm okay. Seriously," said Yuna a bit impatiently, no as she wanted to sound to him. She turned to Wakka and smiled. She would try to believe that he was ignorant--too blinded to see the light in every person. Even the ones that didn't stick out like a sore thumb. How, Yuna didn't know. He'd spent all of his life with Lulu, and hadn't noticed Yuna for four years?

Yuna lowered her head, trying to listen to Mr. Mika, and avoid any eye contact with the boys at the same time. However, Mr. Mika was done talking about explosions, and lecturing about different chemicals, and she'd missed all of it! Not only that, but they were doing homework, now--or rather, were supposed to be doing homework. What had started out as an eager attempt to make conversation had doubled over into dread at even looking at him! She didn't want to feel this way.

Sighing, she looked up at Tidus, and gratefully, he was looking at her homework assignment, apparently thinking that was what she was concentrating on. She was about to actually begin working, when she heard a babble of whispering coming from all the way across the room to the left. Yuna's heart sunk even lower. Leblanc and some other girl were pointing and snickering. Yuna's jaw slightly dropped. Leblanc was still spreading gossip about her? And Wakka was being big headed? Yuna felt her throat begin to ache when Leblanc mumured, "slut."

She chewed on her tongue. Tears were going to come any second, now. _Why am I being such a baby?_ she couldn't help wondering. Yuna had always been strong. Now, why was she always resorting to crying when people treated her cruelly? She was used to it. She bad been even before Tidus began talking to her again.

_It's all his fault that I'm like this,_ Yuna thought, nodding. Then, her eyes widened, realizing what she'd just thought. _What am I thinking?_ _Tidus didn't do anything!_ Why was this happening? It was all so sudden. The pain, grief, mockery. Was... was Yuna about to emotionally break?

"Excuse me."

Yuna and Tidus looked up surprisedly. Wakka wasn't paying any attention.

A girl was standing infront of Yuna, next to Tidus' seat. She had silverish-gray hair, flecked with maybe the occasional stripe of black underneath the other layers of white hair.

What always amazed Yuna was how this girl's hair stayed in such bizarre positions. She figured that she used a lot of hairspray to achieve the style. Her hair was combed, certain sections pulling off in different directions. She had red eyes, and very fair skin. She was wearing a sleeveless black shirt, and army pants. She was tough and quiet, but friendly and sarcastic, too.

"Oh, Paine--hi," said Yuna managing to choke back a sob. Paine nodded in response.

"Hi. I'm not sure if you're with anybody, but if you aren't with anybody else, would you want to be my partner for this assignment?"

"Oh..." Yuna mumured. She saw Tidus' head droop down to Yuna, his eyes pleading. She knew she could bear another second with him, though. It hurt too much. "S-sure," she said.

"Yuna?" said Tidus, grabbing her arm, he abruptly let go and muttered, "Are you alright?'

"Tidus..." Yuna was grateful for his concern, but it hurt too much, now. She'd tell him later. Yuna nodded at Paine, and they walked to the back of the classroom, and pulled up two desks against a wall. Yuna sat down awkwardly, and took out her textbook. Perhaps it was good to have accepted Paine's offer... that way she wouldn't be so corrupted by seeing Tidus merely inches away from her...

"I already finished, you can copy."

Yuna was extremely startled at this. Did she honestly think she would copy her work?

"No, thank you, I do my own work," said Yuna a bit offended.

"Suit yourself, but I have to talk to you."

"I didn't come over here to talk with you, so if you're done, then there's no point in this partnership, sorry." Yuna stood up and began walking away.

"Wait," Paine said, coolly, "You'll want to hear what I have to say."

**FINALLY!**

**Review and tell me what YOU thought!**

**Miko**


	7. The Reality of it All

**Hey, everyone! I'm baaaack. I hope those aren't moans and groans I here, ha ha. Look, I'm really, really, terribly sorry about the long update. Would you believe me if I said it wasn't my fault, though? Or would you think that I was making more stuff up? XD Well, there's been nonstop, unnecessary drama at my home. I recently went on vacation to my grandma's house, and we ended up moving here, LAST MINUTE. Just my sister, and I. So we have nothing except things newly bought here, and a few articles of clothing brought, meant for a two week time period. What can I say? (I left my documents at home, so I had to rewrite my chapters when we got the internet up. I personally think it's better than the old one, so…)**

**I hope you forgive me! Thanks for sticking with me, those of you who continue to read, and I understand why you others didn't read… for those of you who I lost along the way…! Either way, enjoy!**

_Chapter Seven: __**The Reality of it All**_

Yuna looked a Paine doubtfully. She didn't meant to seem rude, but she HAD suggested she copy, which was completely against her values. People should do their own work! That's what she thought, anyway. Most people just continued to copy off others, despite what she thought.

She didn't want to seem too bitter… and she was kind of curious… she sat down. "Will I, Paine?"

"Yeah, I believe that's what I said," Paine responded with a blank expression. Yuna didn't smile, but she tried to stay away from any impolite looks. She was, after all, wasting precious time that couldbe spent doing homework she'd have normally finished already.

"Go on, please."

Paine smiled slightly, and Yuna didn't know why. "I wanted to tell you not to get caught up in LeBlanc and Dona's hair-brained schemes."

"What?" Yuna was slightly surprised by this. She stared at her for an extended period of time. Was her distressed behavior so blatantly played out? She could tell what she was thinking? Her heart sunk. Did anyone else?

"Why do you look so pale?" Pain inquired before going on. "I mean… they think you're intimidated by them. You're polite and modest—that basically is equal to fear."

The brunette gave her a blank look, before shaking her head. "I'm not intimidated by them, I'm just not used to being the one bullied, singularly."

"That's not intimidation?" Pain asked flatly. She shrugged when Yuna squinted at her, and cocked her head to the side. It looked to Paine she was trying to pull off a look that wasn't so deliberately a glare. I twasn't working. "Hey, I'm just saying. Show some of that evil glare to LeBlanc, and we'll see what happens."

Yuna straightened subconsciously, knowing she must've been too obvious with her annoyance. She responded bitterly, but couldn't help it. The pile of the emotions on this day were surely piling up just a little too high.

"What am I supposed to do? Pick a fight with Dona? That's the whole school, Paine."

A subtle smirk. "No need to get testy. No, I'm just saying, if you let it bother you, they won't hesitate to bully you to the point of suicide."

Yuna gulped and instinctively averted Paine's eyes. Suicide… it was for those who were worn weak and couldn't control the barrier or rock of life any longer. So… what Paine was saying was… they were trying to wear her down. The brunette looked wearily into the red-eyed girl's face—all trace of smugness gone. She was aware of a bead of sweat running down her neck. She willed it to stop, but will did nothing.

Pain observed this, but didn't show Yuna she paid much mind to it, though the teen was smart enough to have realized that Paine was just as good, if not better, at hiding emotions—especially surprise or shock, Yuna's two weak points.

"Can I ask you a question?" Pain requested quietly. Yuna nodded curtly in approval, and she saw Paine's lip twitch as if holding bad a sympathetic smile.

"Do you care about social structure? The big high school pyramid? Luca Institution's hots and nots?" Paine waved her hands around widly, and rolled her eyes, indicating she was mocking, and obviously didn't care what it was called—or where she was on that pyramid.

"Well," Yuna croaked, "I was never popular since I came here… but I didn't think it mattered that much, because people were popular for the wrong reasons."

Paine nodded, and beckoned for her to contiue with her pale hands.

"Like Dona…" she glanced around the room, convinced the name was taboo, "she's always in trouble… and she's gorgeous… but she's got a lot of friends that aren't actually her friends… so I don't see the benefit… the cons out-weigh the pros."

"In other words, you don't care, either," Paine replied casually. Yuna saw her shoot a glance at the clock, knowing time was of the essence. "Another thing, Miss Yuna…"

She cringed at the formality. "Yes?"

Paine restrained a chuckle. "How many true friends do you have?"

Yuna scratched the back of her ear, a sign she was feeling skittish because of the semi-interrogation. "I have two childhood friends… Lulu and my cousin Rikku… they're my only friends… and close friends."

"Heh," Paine's shoulders shook when she laughed. Yuna looked at her expectantly, and couldn't help thinking she looked so much more approachable when she laughed. "Those two dolts?"

Yuna took no offense to that, she knew Paine was kidding, and she giggled for the first time since the bell to start first hour had rang. The girl with the impossible law of gravity-defying hair outstretched her hand for a handshake.

She grasped it, not knowing how appreciatie she was. When Paine took her hand, she turned it so that the palm was facing upwards. She took out a black ink pen, and scribbled something.

Paine let go of her hand. Yuna glanced at her newly decorated palm. It had a series of numbers.

"My phone, in case you have a sudden urge to make a new friend."

Yuna smiled, a nod of thanks, and then stood up.

"EHHH!" The sound seemed to jolt through her veins. It sounded as if she had just gotten a question wrong, and the buzzer had went off. Instinctively, she ceased all movements, standing there idly.

"Not yet. Sit down." Yuna did so. Paine cleared her throat, and glanced at a certain blonde boy. "Before, you said you had two close friends. You're wrong. You'e got three… Tidus is more yours than Dona's." The brunette nodded, feeling herself get touchy about the subject at hand, already.

"Plus…" Paine frowned deeply, "Dona's cheating on Tidus."

Yuna felt her heart sink to an unbelievably low part of her stomach, making ita che, and her stomach flutter. That meant that they would break up, and they could be together without being preyed upon by her posse… but then, Tidus would be hurt… and even so, Tidus and Yuna would even more likely be subject to high school torture. Was it a lose-lose situation?

"It's not uncommon… but, just choose a wise time to tell him, alrighty?" Yuna took this as a sign to leave, because Paine crossed her arms, and reclined in her chair, crossing her legs, and staring at the ceiling.

Yuna stood up, nodded, and dragged her feet back to her old seat. Tidus and Wakka were talking about the cleanliness of the sphere pool.

"What the hell do you mean you've peed during the game?!" Tidus asked, gripping his hair crazily, and then running his hands down his face in exaggerated disgust.

"What? It was after I got kicked, and I had to pee… sheesh!" Wakka crossed his arms, but couldn't contain the peals of laughter at Tidus's expression.

"Swimming in Wakka's URI-I-I-INE! Wakka's URI-I-INE!"

Yuna looked at him skeptically, before taking her seat beside Wakka nad behind Tidus. Tidus gave a nod of recognition, while Wakka's laughter died down.

"You finish your homework, ya?" he inquired, eyes glimmering. Obviously his spirits had been lifted while she was gone. The self-conscious teen pulled off a smile, just to reassure the both of them, she was okay, even though her parade had been rained on quite inelegantly.

"Nah, I'm going to have to work on it after school."

"Damn, man," Wakka hit his fists on the desk, laughing, as Tidus was guffawing. How like them. She giggled, still, because it was funny. Tidus would usually ask if he could copy, but when they were kids, he'd stopped listening to her responses after awhile. He always said it was worth a shot, however, so she was always asked.

Her mind kept being overruled by the thoughts concerning Dona, LeBlanc, and really, just the whole school. What a bummer. Dona… why did she have to hurt people? Was she insecure? Was she depressed because people only knew about her promiscuity because she went around? Maybe she was just a sadist…

"I gotta pee," Wakka stated simply as he stood up, and pulled his pants higher on his waist, as it was the fashion, apparently, to wear pants that were too large for you. Tidus scoffed at him.

"The toilets, not the sphere pool, Wakka."

"Shut up, ass."

Tidus turned to look at Yuna, and Yuna raised her eyebrows in a sigh, silently stating, 'what do we do, now?' She looked into the entrancing pools of azure that were Tidus's magnificent eyes. "So"—

"Yuna, what's wrong?"

Dead silence. All Yuna could hear was the beating of her chest against her ribcage. How did he know? How did he know something was bothering her? What was going on? Oh no, panic…

"Yuna…?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Tidus. I've been fine all day"—

"No, you haven't, don't lie to me." He sounded so pained it just made her want to cry in his arms, and only his arms. How could she tell him? He was the base of her problems, but she could not tell him that… he'd be crushed!

"Talk to me," he said, bringing his face closer to hers. She knew this trick! He was trying to get her flustered enough to speak! Oh, ho! How WELL it was working, too!

"I-I-I am, Tidus, don't be nonsensical!"

Tidus shot her a look that seemed as if he was insulted by the fact Yuna was insinuating he was an idiot. "Talk to me, Yuna!"

The aching in her throat was all too familiar, now. He was trying to pressure her in a good way, but it was also pushing her emotional boundaries to a dangerous edge. She didn't know how muh more she could take.

"Today, when Dona came over, you had the same look in your eyes," he muttered, drawing nearer, "you looked hurt…. And when you were talking to Wakka, or saw LeBlanc and her band of whores talking about you like they're saints. Is that what's bothering you?"

He was very proximate to her nose, now. She could feel his breath on her face, eyes wide and pleading…

"Okay," she breathed, a tear running down her face. He wiped the tear from her cheek with his forefinger, and backed up a little, as to give her space, but not too much space to make her feel uncomfortable again.

"I… I've never been popular here, Tidus…" she looked at the ground to avoid his eyes, so that she could have some sort of composure when talking. "I'm used to not being liked or known, you know." She shrugged, and fidgeted in her seat.

"I've never been picked out and picked on, you know? It's like the whole school's against me—no, they ARE—just because I want to know you again… I just don't think I can take it anymore. It's too much… too suffocating." She scratched her head and looked up cautiously at Tidus. He was…

…smiling?

"Tidus?" Yuna asked, suddenly unsure if she should have told him that. She bit her lip, very embarrassed and self-conscious. She nearly flinched when he said her name so delicately. It sounded best when he said it. Him only.

"Yuna…" he chuckled, "don't _ever_ listen to what they say. You're Yuna… successful, smart, perfect in every way, okay? My best friend—always will be, just like I promised four years ago."

"What?" she relaxed a little, but was still extremely nervous, and was thus very tense. Tidus laughed heartily this time.

"The defiant Yuna I knew would never take into account what other people said… not negatively, anyway. What happened, pretty girl?"

Yuna couldn't help it. She had to say something or she was going to break. Just a subtle hint, maybe…

"Tidus, _you_ make me stronger. When you left, I"—

"What I miss here? Solemn mood, much, ya?" Wakka interrupted, slapping Tidus's shoulder cheerfully.

There was a dazed look in her eyes when she noticed the orange-haired man from Besaid. She finally felt the gears in her head whir and click together when they registered this was Wakka; a guy who was not unknown to her, nor foreign. When it did finally click, she did not have the heart to smile very long. There was a glimpse of her brief toothy grin before it faded.

"Solemn? Nah, it's as light and fluffy as it's always been, right Tidus?" her eyes widened, and she smiled once more before gawking athe the floor instead of Tidus's deep concerned eyes.

"I'll be right back… bathroom." Yuna walked up to the desk, and Mr. Mika nodded, granting Yuna permission when she asked for leave. She didn't want to see his pleading eyes. In this condition, she wouldn't last. That much was obvious. She would succumb to the easy way of pulling out, and she knew she would merely crack had it come to the point where she had to give Tidus up, again. She barely held herself in place with the promise. Knowing she _couldn't_ have him, promise or not, made her stomach lurch in various unpleasant manners.

The slick, hard, somewhat dusty floor seemed to loom beneath her. She was dizzy again, but not so much as before. She stopped before she was unable to walk. Suddenly, the hallway before her seemed threatening… so far away.

A step. Defiance.

Another step. Being bold?

Another step, once more. Confirmation that she could walk, and the feeling was all too real again. She began to pace herself down the hallway once more. She was being insane. She'd lasted four years without him, right?

Wrong. Four years building up to this moment. All in vain—several waves of nausea. _Hold my hand. Walk me through this, Tidus…_

A stumble. She pressed forward, ignoring it quite plainly. Would Tidus despise her for being as clingy as she had been lately? Desperately needing him—wouldn't that make him turn away… and if he stayed… would it be because he wanted to? Damn her, and the constant need to cry these days. They were too painful for her to live through, she knew…

NO!

She _could._ She _could,_ and she _would._ No matter how much she didn't want to leave him, she had to for the sake of her own mental stability.

"What am I thinking?" Yuna asked herself. Maybe that was the problem. Perhaps she was just thinking too much. She stopped as she saw the instant of pink wall fade into the same dull blue of the other bricks. She took a step back. Two. Each thought weighed her feet down like iron chains in heavy masses. She frowned, walking into the bathroom, attempting to shake her head of any thought as she washed her face.

Yuna stared back at Yuna, eyes piercing each other. She nearly flinched, but she heard shuffling in the bathroom. Her face was hot with stress, she needed more than sweat to cool herself down—water was the next best thing.

"Why, if it isn't Miss Yu-u-una?"

A sudden lump in her throat. "Dona."

"Very good, dork," she responded, inspecting her as if to find out why Tidus wanted to be around her so much. Apparently, she found nothing. "What do you want with my boyfriend, whore?"

She steadied her voice, coming off much more confident than she was. "I am not a whore, and I realize you have no right to call me one," Yuna didn't hold back a contemptuous glare this time, to which Dona's jaw dropped to a satisfying low. "In any means, I am just a friend to Tidus…" disappointment was evident in her voice.

"Well, that much is _obvious_… you must be a good friend."

"I should hope so"—

A searing pain hit Yuna's shoulder in a surprisingly fast time period. Her shoulder against the wall. Dona's girls were holding her down!

"Oomf… what are you doing?!" Yuna shouted, seething at the bitter distaste etched on everyone of Dona's facial features.

"Let's just get it out there. I don't like you, you don't like me." Was that jealousy on her face?

"No, it's not like—oww! Not so hard!" A particular brunette pressed her arm wantonly into the wall behind her, flesh searing in pain, aching more from the emotional abuse than the physical pain of her arm being pushed so mercilessly.

"Don't resist," Dona stated flatly, despite the fact she must have been imagining the resistance, "I just want you away from my boyfriend. Get it? Got it? Good."

Yuna was released with a "hmph," by the girls in Dona's posse, the sound of multiple heels clicking against the floor in an extremely irritating manner. She breathed in cool, unrelieved breaths, and stood up, much to the opposition of her aching head. She glanced again in the mirror, and _did_ flinch this time. She hated what she saw.

* * *

Yuna was taking a little bit too long for it to be possible to sit without squirming in your seat. He wished he could know if what she said had been all that was wrong, but he couldn't possibly without her telling him! He ran his fingers through his platinum blonde hair. _Damn,_ he thought, _always got me worrying about her, that girl…_

"You okay, man? You seem sorta nervous 'bout somethin', ya?"

"Me? I'm fine, dude, just thinking about crap…" he trailed off, not wanting to put more effort into talking.

"Yeah, those times."

What was taking her so long? He knew her too long, not to be worried about her. She wouldn't do something rash in the bathroom—or on school grounds at all, would she? He had to know. Had to really know. Though, it was out of character for the Yuna he grew up with, people tended to usually change over a four year time period.

The teen massaged his temples, then nearly chewed his bottom lip off. When he'd stabbed at least one hundred holes in his paper, Wakka spoke again.

"You… sure you okay, man?"

Tidus glanced at him awkwardly. "I've got to pee, and I just can't hold it anymore. Be back in a second, 'kay?"

Wakka snorted, but the blonde felt oddly distant from the orange-haired teen…. He shook it off.

"Mr. Mika, can I go to the restroom?"

The nearly handicapped teacher glimpsed up from his papers to search Tidus's face for mischief.

"Do you actually have to go?"

"Yes, sir, please."

Another suspicious look, but he waved his hand in an approving manner, and so Tidus darted out of the room. He walked causally and tried to slow his heart pounding hin his ears, telling him to move faster. He approached the girls' bathroom, cast a quick glance around the hall and surrounding classrooms, then whispered, "Yuna?"

There came no response. "Yuna?" he walked very nervously into the entrance of the girls' bathroom. "Yuna?"

"Tidus?"

The platinum blonde nearly jumped out of his skin, when he heard Yuna's delicate voice from behind him. "That's a girls' restroom, you know."

Tidus cracked a smile. "Yeah." Where was her familiar giggle? Laugh? Chuckle? Smile? Anything!

"I went to get a drink before going back."

There was an extended silence, as she avoided his eyes for what seemed like several minutes.

"Tell me what's wrong," he said. Straight forward. Like a command. Perhaps, that was the only way to receive an answer. However, she still nibbled her lip, as if deliberately deciding whether to lie to him or not.

He took her shoulders, and gripped them firmly. She had flinched when his fingertips had merely touched her skin. She had begun to cry the second he decided he wasn't going to let go anymore. She shook under his grasp. It frightened him. His eyes were wide when she looked up at him with those beautiful eyes, magnifying the beautiful orbs with her tears, running down her cheeks.

"Tidus… I don't think I can be with you anymore…"

Something constricted painfully in Tidus's chest.

* * *

**Welllll… another chapter done… what do you think? I'm sorry for the long update, again. Please forgive me! I hoped you like this chapter, and I'm hoping for a review…**

**So you can tell me what YOU thought!**

**Miko**


	8. Things Go Up From Down

**Hey, guys! Sorry, sorry, sorry! My apology's at the end of the chapter. I made this one extra long, so I really hope you enjoy it. I started to edit previous chapters. I've only edited 1-3 so far, though. I love youguys!**

**Enjoy!**

_Chapter Eight: __**Things Go Up From Down**_

Pain spread across his face like wildfire, a plague upon his memorable features. She whimpered, sobbing at the hurt expression, regretting it, and also accepting it fully. This was how she felt every second of everyday. He would have to embrace it if he wanted to be with her. She sniffed, tears running freely down her cheeks.

"Yuna… what do you mean?"

* * *

Tidus was sure it was moments like these, when he had chosen to be with Yuna, that made his mind regret his decisions for the sake of his heart. There could simply not be a rational explanation for this feeling. This mind-numbing crushing instance, where he felt his mouth get dry.

"What do I mean?" choked Yuna exasperatedly. Tidus could see she was quickly teetering between utter frustration and breaking down quickly. "How could you not know?"

Tidus felt oddly… offended. Didn't he know her better than anyone else? Wasn't he her best friend. What else had changed in that time period? How much had she held onto? What had she forgotten?

"Putting it into words for you is painful for me."

More pain? The blonde felt his heart jolt, and he swallowed, hoping she would continue without him urging her.

She did. "Haven't I somewhat already told you?" she muttered, slowly clutching her chest. Tidus realized numbly that they were feeling the same type of hurt. "Four years—nothing. You see me again… ignore me. You're messing around with… Dona." He narrowed his eyes, surprised, when Dona's name resurfaced in the conversation, and his eyebrows arched when he spotted a scowl on her face.

The blonde was almost positive she hadn't noticed she was wearing a sour face, because it lingered for several more seconds.

She hadn't been looking at him. For that duration, he was silent; only when their eyes met, did he speak.

"Dona?"

It was a simple enough question to make her face turn red. She pulled her eyebrows together, and stared pointedly at the floor.

"I don't like her."

He could see why… but this was confusing him. What _was_ this? Why was Dona being dragged into this painful conversation? What did Yuna want from him exactly?

"Why did you bring up my love life?" he inquired a little too bitterly.

"I… just… she's bad for you," she mumbled ashamedly.

"Are you my girlfriend?"

"No!"

The emphasis on her response stung him a little.

"Exactly. There's no 'good' girl for me. In fact, there are no 'good' girls in general, are there?" his words came out sharper than he had expected. Before he knew it, he was the victim, and she was the monster. He pretended to ignore her stuttering and protests and his conscience tugged at him. He frowned.

"I—Tidus—no—I…" and she was shaking again, and he melted, and wrapped his tan arms around the violently sobbing, broken, tormented young woman in his arms.

"Don't cry," were the first words out of his mouth.

"Ea-ea-easier said th-than done!" she breathed.

"I know."

His heart pulled on the inside. Everything was tearing apart, nothing was whole, everything was broken and was desperately in need of mending.

Yuna… she had been this way all along.

"You're strong," he commented airily, momentarily dazed by the sudden flow of memories that came during the break in communication.

"I don't want to be strong. I want to be happy," she groaned more to herself than to him.

His frown deepened, and he pulled her small form off of his chest.

"I'll break up with Dona," he stated firmly.

"No," she shook her brown head," not because of me. Never because of me. It's not about her, don't worry."

Tidus felt annoyance beging to surge inside of him, but he quickly pushed it aside as if it were a disease.

"What, then?" he caressed her shoulder, and felt his stomach untense slightly when she didn't brush him off.

"I'm being hunted by Dona and her crew," she began. The blonde felt his eyelids narrow to slits over his blue eyes.

"Today, they had me pinned against the wall—" she grimaced as his hand suddenly clenched her shoulder. He released it suddenly, and balled it into a fist.

Her smooth, cool fingertips brushed down his arm, sending shivers down his spine. She held onto his arm, and looked at him sternly.

"You're reprimanding me for something I haven't done yet?" he asked amusedly.

"Yet?" she smiled slightly, "Mr. Impulsive."

"Is this why you want to break up?" he grinned, but it was distorted, because his eyes were somber.

"Yes. There are other things…" his grin faltered. She squeezed his arm gently. "But I think I can find a way to overlook those… maybe we should just spend less time together."

"Or," suggested Tidus, "we could spend _more_ time together, therefore preventing further attacks."

"Clever."

"Not really."

She chuckled, and let go of his arm. He missed her touch already. He stared at her. Her eyes, her skin, her lips, her hair…

She fiddled self-consciously with a brown lock dangling by her shoulder. "What? Do you see something?"

_Yes,_ Tidus thought.

"No," Tidus replied, rubbing the strand between his fingers playfully. She giggled. "I suppose we should return to class."

"Yup," she mumbled, pensive. He cleared his throat. He didn't know how long he'd been out of class. It had slipped his mind. Had the minutes slipped by, too?

"Want to wash your face?" he offered, patting her back.

"No point, really…"

He could hear the obvious internal question she asked herself.

"Go home," he told her bluntly. "You look like you were just baptized."

"Take me," she requested before even thinking about it.

"Deal," he laughed. "Pull it off?"

"Maybe…" she hummed thoughtfully. She put one finger to her chin. "Cid's at work, so…"

"You think they'll let me take you?" he muttered absently. He rubbed her shoulder. She didn't notice the gesture—it was just another friendly move made by her BFF, but for Tidus, it was different. He was feeling differently. He yearned to stroke every inch of her skin to see if it was as delicate and fragile as her shoulder. He desired to take a picture of her swollen eyes and red cheeks and nose, because she was so beautiful, even after sobbing for so long.

"Hmm…" She tapped her chin, "Well, I… guess we'll just have to try, won't we?"

She smiled.

At that moment, the easy-going blonde's soul lit up, and he smiled back. The moment seemed to last forever, even though he knew it had only been seconds.

Yuna turned, and started off down the hallway. She still walked the same, even four years later. He sped up his pace to catch up with her.

"Hey, Yuna…" Tidus started, abashed.

"Yes?" another smile. His heart skipped two beats. He smiled at her to hide his nervousness.

"Will you hold my hand? Like ol' times?" he winked and extended his arm towards her. He acknowledged her blushing and tensing simultaneously.

"Tidus…"

"Pleeeassse?" he pouted playfully, and grabbed her hand. His heart ran laps.

"We did this when you were like, five, you know," she giggled, "it's not the same when we're so old."

"It is to me," he responded with a shrug, but he was lying. It meant much, much more. Unfortunately for Tidus, Yuna, all too soon, let go of his warm hand. He frowned at the sense of loss as they rounded a corner to enter the office area.

The vibrant brunette dragged her fingers across the wall. The movement caught Tidus's eye, and he sucked in a harsh breath. Why was she so graceful? Even as a klutz?

"Hi," Yuna's soft voice broke through his thoughts. "I…"

_Great, she's having trouble lying,_ thought Tidus.

"She got sick," Tidus whispered, walking up to the desk after Yuna. He feigned sympathy over said sickness.

"You poor thing!" the secretary cooed, "you must feel terrible!"

"She does," Tidus nodded, patting her for effect. Or so he told himself. She grunted, because that was the most convincing lie she could tell without lying.

"I feel terrible," she sniffed, truthfully. The secretary nodded vigorously.

"Yeah, honey, I know," she furrowed her eyebrows in concern while moving to pick up the phone receiver from its nest. "Who ya gonna call, baby?" she inquired sympathetically.

"My uncle, Cid. He's at work."

"Okay."

"His work number is an out of town area code," Yuna responded, and gave her the number. The secretary smiled before handing over the phone to Yuna. Tidus leaned over, closer to Yuna, in order to hear Cid through the telephone. His voice was gruff and impatient.

"Cid speaking. Who am I talking to?" his voice was rushed, as if he wanted to get the conversation over with as quickly as possible.

"It's Yuna," she said softly, sniffing. Tidus thought she was too cute. "I got sick."

"Yuna!" he yelled, loud enough so that Tidus didn't have to strain to hear. The secretary smiled to herself and continued to work.

"What're you doing, calling me at a time like this? Aren'tcha in school? Where's yer cousin?" he interrogated the brunette. She twisted the chord between her fingers, nervously.

"Cid, Rikku's in class—"

"Well, that's good."

"But, Cid," she attempted to continue.

"So, why were you callin' again, Yuna?" he inquired. Yuna shot the smirking Tidus a quick glance.

"I feel terrible, I need to go home and rest," she answered patiently. "Can you pick me up?" she asked, though she was aware of what the answer would be.

"Well, I'm at work 'till late tonight, Yuna," he stated flatly. She nodded tiredly.

"I… understand," she returned disappointedly. "Umm… could Tidus… take me?"

The secretary looked up from her papers, alarmed.

"Uhh…" Cid started, awkwardly, "I'm not sure how I feel… about…"

"We live just a few blocks away, Cid," she mumbled, sniffing, and taking on an exhausted expression.

"Well…"

"Yeah, he has his license, a new car, a father who keeps a strict eye on him, all those things."

Tidus tensed next to her. A strict eye. Yup, and a strict few other things. The secretary didn't notice his change in composure. She was staring intently at Yuna.

"Miss Yuna, I don't think that's allowed…" she murmured to the brunette. Yuna's eyes widened pleadingly.

"Cid, can you speak with the secretary about this, _please?"_

Tidus moved away from Yuna as she handed the phone to the woman behind the desk.

"Hello?" she said professionally. "Hi, Sir. Oh, okay, I'll call you Cid. My name is Jennifer. Thank you."

Yuna looked up at Tidus, who had an amused grin plastered on his face. He let it fade when he felt that the secretary's conversation with her uncle was drawing to a close.

"Yes. Well, I suppose. Sure, yeah. Alright, well, that's fine. Alright, thank you. Bye." She replaced the sleek black phone to its fit home. She shook her wavy brown hair.

" 'Anything for my little girl,' he said." She smiled. "Well, I don't know if this is okay, but I retrieved his _full_ responsibility for this." _Jennifer_ gave the two of them a pointed look.

"Yes, ma'am," Yuna replied gingerly, "Thank you for looking out for me, you're very kind, and I appreciate it."

She blushed. "You're welcome, sweetie."

The two of them checked out. Yuna signed her name on the list when Tidus returned from Mika's classroom with both of their things. They thanked the flattered woman behind the desk, and proceeded to leave Luca Institute.

After they were outside the double doors, Yuna asked, "What did Mr. Mika say when you went back?"

"He said, 'problems with your bowels, Tidus?' And I said, 'Well, Yuna's sick, so I'm bringing her stuff to the office.'" He shrugged. The old man looked weary, and Tidus imagined that he wasn't up to challenging the youngster anymore.

"Oh," Yuna remarked intelligently.

"Yup." He pulled his car keys from his pocket and unlocked the doors to a beautiful blue mustang.

"Wow," Yuna stated, once again wowing him with her wits.

"That's about the best compliment you can spit," he joked. She giggled. He beamed.

"So, are you going back to school after you drop me off?" Yuna asked him, watching as he turned the key in the ignition.

"Eh," he checked his rearview mirror to make sure no one was behind him. He looked at her with a loopy grin a moment before backing his new car out of the parking lot. "I won't go back if I can help it." Tidus smiled again at her. She was making him glow.

"You probably should," she said absently, examining the inside of his car. She seemed distracted.

"You want me to leave?" he inquired, pouting. He smirked when Yuna blushed and adamantly disagreed. "You're so cute!"

Her face turned another shade of read, and he laughed out loud. "Don't say things like that!" she protested playfully. He noticed how the innocent teen held her hands neatly in her lap. It was an… elegant way to sit, he thought. His ears heated with embarrassment.

He could guarantee he'd never notice something like that with any other girl.

"So, really, let's… talk about something that's been going on since we last talked." She looked at him with interest. His heart dutifully sped up to a thousand miles per minute.

"Umm… 'kay," he replied lamely, "uh… Like… what?"

"Like," she fidgeted, then put on her seat belt despite the fact that they had nearly reached their destination. "Like… what about your love life?"

He could've choked on his esophagus. "What's this about my love life?" he scoffed, "are you really bringing that up again?

Yuna quickly averted his gaze. He held the steering wheel steadily with one hand, and tapped her shoulder. Her head snapped up. He bit back laughter with difficulty.

"You want to be a part of it?" he leaned into her, staring deeply into her eyes.

"A-A part? A part of wha…?" she stuttered, leaning away from him, face heating to considerable temperatures.

He leaned in closer. She stared back into his eyes. He felt her breath on his face, making his lips tingle. Here eyes were hypnotising. Her lips were enticing. Her red cheeks were magnetizing his own lips. Then, barely audible, Yuna muttered breathily, "green light."

The blonde sat up straight and ruffled his hair. "Oh, how I love to mess with you, Yuna." _Too close,_ he thought repeatedly, _too close._

Beside him, she let out a huge sigh. He chuckled. If anyone could get her hooked, it was him. Guaranteed. No doubt about it. Tidus turned onto the short street, then into the cul-de-sac and parked in front of Cid's two-story house.

"Mademoiselle," he spoke smoothly, opening his door and jogging to Yuna's side. She had already gotten out.

"You just ruined my move," he said flatly.

"What?" Yuna's expression suddenly turned worried.

"You're supposed to wait for me to open the door _for_ you, _duh_," he told her docking an obvious look.

"Oh!" she giggled. "Sorry!" she proceeded to climb back into the leather interior of the 'stang, and Tidus quickly opened the door for her.

"Mademoiselle," he repeated.

"Monsieur," Yuna shot back. Tidus gave her an exaggeratedly impressed look. She laughed. The sound was music to his ears.

"Well, we're here," she said, taking the key from beneath the welcome mat.

"So it seems."

Yuna unlocked the door clumsily, and the two walked in. Yuna shut the door behind Tidus.

"Nice place," was his simple comment.

"Yeah, it is, huh?"

"You bet."

"So, want something to drink?" Yuna wondered, being a brilliant hostess, even though she was _supposed_ to be sick.

"Like what?" he asked with a shrug, wandering to her fridge.

"Tea?" she asked from behind him.

"Ew, since when have I liked tea?" he scowled at the mere idea of putting that bile-resembling liquid into his mouth.

She laughed gracefully. "It's been four years. Things change."

"Have you changed?" he opened the fridge, browsing for something besides tea. He didn't expect her to actually answer him.

She did. "Yes," was her reply.

He closed the fridge. "How?"

"I don't eat Lucky Charms anymore."

The blonde shook his head and whined, "You traitor!" He was inwardly very glad that the changes were minimum… at least, as far as he knew, and as far as she was letting on.

"I missed you," she said, altering the mood. She was still smiling. "A lot, Tidus, a lot."

"I missed you a lot, a lot," he smirked and strode slowly towards her. When there was little distance between them, he leaned over her. He heard her breathe in sharply. He stood still a moment longer, then patted her cheek. "You _have_ gotten taller."

She chuckled nervously.

"I blow you away, don't I?" he bowed. "I'm too good-looking for you to deny it."

"You haven't changed," she stuck her tongue out at him, playfully. "How 'bout a coke?"

"Will do," he responded. "Is it a bad thing that I haven't changed? Huh, pretty girl?"

Yuna opened the fridge and rummaged around until she spotted a cola can. She re-emerged with the soda, and handed it to him. "A bad thing? Let's just say… _you_ haven't gotten taller. I'll soon be taller than you, again."

"Yeah, right!" he snorted, "I tower over you."

"Where do you want to hang out? My room or the living room?" she politely gave him the choice.

"Your room. It's where we always hang. Duh." Yuna smiled a small smile. Tidus didn't need her to say it had been four years. Once had been enough.

Of course, going up the stairs to Yuna's room tied knots in his intestines. He couldn't remembering being this nervous about going to her room when he was ten.

Oh, well. He took a deep breath, following her to the second floor.

"My room's over here, that's Rikku's," she pointed to a door close to an open window. Seeing the window, she sighed, and went to stiffly shut it.

Tidus stood anxiously outside of her door. He stepped back as she strode gracefully towards him. She opened it, and the door creaked loudly.

"Yeesh," he muttered. She didn't catch it.

"Well, here we go," she mumbled. Tidus got the impression that she had said it more to herself than to him. When she revealed her room, the first thing he noticed was the intense cleanliness of it.

"Typically tidy Yuna," he commented, lifting his arms so that they could rest behind his head. Yuna stood awkwardly before him. He could feel his expression becoming smug.

"Let's take a look-see…" He stood at her large, wooden dresser. "In here is… what?"

"Clothes," she said bluntly. Tidus wasn't interested in that. Well, okay, he was, but not in the sense that Yuna would think if he acted like he _was_ interested.

"Right. To the closet. Here?"

She shrugged. "Clothes, some shoes, nothing interesting."

He walked over to the night stand. "What about in this?" He pointed to it.

"Oh!" she blushed. Tidus didn't need more of an invitation than that. He opened the first drawer. He heard rolling and dull clanking. He figured it was something fragile, but when he opened it, it was packed full of spheres.

"Tidus, those are personal," she told him sternly.

"You can show _me,_ Yuna," he told her, making eye contact for an extended amount of time. He was having a hard time ripping his gaze from Yuna's bi-colored, drop dead gorgeous eyes.

His charm didn't quite work this time. "Tidus, not right now, please?" she got on her bed in an attempt to climb over and stop him. He quickly picked up a sphere and tackled Yuna to her bed, aiming for her stomach.

"Oomf! TIDUS!" she snapped.

"Shhh, let's just watch." She began to protest, but he put a finger to her lips. She appeared startled at first, but she soon rolled her eyes at his antics. His flirting wasn't working as well as he had originally hoped. _Always time for that later,_ he thought, and set his eyes on the sphere.

"_Why don't you just do it?"_ _came the familiar voice of Yuna's mother, a diluted Al Bhed accent clinging to her words. She was gently urging._

"_Mom, seriously, we're just friends," a younger Yuna told her mother while twirling her brown hair with nervous anxiety. "Why is the sphere recording?" she asked her flatly._

"_I'm gonna take it to Tidus, I'm gonna show him!"_

"_Mom!"_

"_Yuna, honey, for his birthday just give him a kiss. That's what I did for you father when we were young."_

"_Mom, I'm serious!" Yuna's face characteristically was a bold red. She was beginning to get up, on a quest to retrieve the sphere from her mother._

"_Give him a kiss, come on. Tidus will jump for joy."_

"_This isn't funny, if he sees this he'll never let me live it down!"_

"_Because he loooooves you!"_

The sphere went black. He was subconsciously grinning stupidly, but he was more than a little surprised. He turned to Yuna. Her face was buried into the pillow. Well, as much as was possible with Tidus draped over her abdomen.

"You _liked_ me?" he asked, letting the astonishment be heard in his voice.

She was silent for a moment. Then, "Get off of me, Tidus." Her voice was small and tired. He complied.

"Yes, I liked you for a little while," Yuna responded, sitting up when she had the freedom to move again. Tidus rolled onto his side.

"Only a little while?" he raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah," she sighed, toying with a lock of hair, again. _She's so cute._ "I got discouraged. I knew that I could never have you." She smiled wryly at him.

"Are you kidding?" he laughed at her. "You could've said the word at any time and I would've bowed to you and kissed your feet."

He winked. Yuna rolled her eyes, apparently unconvinced.

"Right, the biggest flirt I've _ever _known, going out with me?" she stared at him incredulously. He found it odd that she was talking to him like this. Being this open meant that it was definitely in the past. She didn't like him like that anymore.

"You just liked your games. Still do, I bet." Yuna dramatically stuck her tongue out at him.

"You can have me now," he told her, making kissy noises.

She giggled. "You're still a little boy."

Tidus sat up suddenly.

"What is it?" Yuna asked, alarmed at the abrupt movement.

"Nothing," he chuckled, examining his hands nervously. "I was just wondering…"

"What?" Yuna asked, timid.

"Do you… still want to kiss me?"

* * *

**Guys, I'm so sorry that this took so long! I've been totally unfair, and I realize that! It should not have taken this long to update **_**ever**_**. But there's been a lot of stuff going on, including a dramatic writer's block. Thank you to those of you who still continue to read this. I love you guys so much!**

**Read and Review! Your feedback matters the most to me!**

**With love, **

**Miko**


	9. The Flirting Game

**Hey guys! I finally put this chapter up. I hope you don't have exceedingly high expectations, because this is just a filler chapter. It's super fluffy for you though, but it's mainly used to introduce the next plot twist. (OOH, PLOT TWIST!) I hope you like it anyway, don't mind the typos and grammatical errors… I am in the process of extremely slowly editing the whole of DML. Hope you like! I love youguys for your continued support!**

**Enjoy!**

_Chapter Nine: __**The Flirting Game**_

Yuna was startled at the question, and she stared at him for a good several seconds before pointedly narrowing her eyes suspiciously. He was looking at his hands, bashfully, and twiddling his gloved thumbs. His bronze skin shone beneath his bright hair. He was luminous and appeared nervous.

She knew his game by heart.

"Don't you play like you're all embarrassed, Tidus, I know how your game was by now." Yuna reached over Tidus and grabbed the sphere that lay next to him on the bed. She picked up the smooth orb, and stood up. She delicately replaced the fragile object in her bedside rawer.

"So—" Yuna began, but stopped as she turned around and Tidus suddenly stood before, a manifestation of beauty itself, her heart pounded graciously agreement.

"Are you trying to scare years off of my life?" Yuna snapped playfully.

He just smiled. She could feel his body heat radiating off of him. Her face turned red at the close proximity. His smile faded slightly, and he took a half a step nearer. He raised his hand slowly. Yuna eyed it as it moved at a snail pace to her cheek. She nearly whimpered.

Yuna's gaze returned to his cerulean eyes, wide with apprehension. He leaned towards her. His eyes were glazed over, and before Yuna could grasp what he was doing, their noses brushed against each other. Their lips stood a mere centimeter away from each other.

"Yuna," he whispered.

"Y-Yes…?" she responded, barely audibly.

"You…" he smirked, "have no idea what my game is like."

Tidus straightened and patted her cheek. "That's like the second time I pulled that on you, isn't?" he asked brightly. "Shouldn't fall for the same trick twice, should you?"

He planted his hands proudly on his hips. Yuna didn't reply for a moment, she was still involuntarily replaying the incident over in her head.

"Oh my," Tidus said softly, "You wanted me to kiss you that badly, Yuna?"

"No, I did not!" Yuna exclaimed with hurry. "How indecent when you are with Donna!"

She looked away, flustered, and began rummaging through her bedside drawer, trying to find something to do as an excuse for not being able to look at him.

"Well, I asked you, didn't I?" Tidus countered perkily, perching his hands behind his blonde head.

"Asked me what?" Yuna inquired absently.

"If you wanted to kiss me or not." She could feel his smirk on her. "I found the answer the hard way."

"No, you did not," the brunette shot back automatically. She felt stupid, but it wasn't her fault. He was toying with her. On purpose! She was getting all worked up for nothing. He had a girlfriend, and that's where he so graciously spent his time and energy.

"I don't like you that way, so stop messing with me," Yuna commanded bluntly. He was silent. Yuna instantly began to feel bad that she had reproached him so harshly, when he spoke.

"Dude, you so do. You can't help it. You're a girl. It's like part of your genetic make up. I call it the Ti-factor." He grinned cockily and flexed for effect.

"You're an arrogant one," Yuna stated boldly.

"I know, right?" he laughed. "But the chicks _love_ it for some reason."

"I don't," she pointed out, which she thought was true… but coincidentally had hyped feelings for this particular narcissist. "Guys don't like girls like me."

"Guys love girls like you. And you're hot, that's always a plus…" he trailed off. Yuna gaped at him, dumbstruck. She was mute for a number of awkward minutes.

"Did you just call me hot?" Yuna breathed, barely able to believe her own ears.

"It's… uhh…" Tidsu scratched his neck. "A lot of guys think you're a piece of work, you know?" he smiled broadly at her.

_But he doesn't think I'm hot._ She could understand that. She could feel disappointment ripping through her like a ferocious torrent.

_This is unlike me,_ she thought bitterly.

Silence ensued. Yuna for the life of her, could not think of anything to say or ask to reduce the dramatic amount of tension in the room. She played with the hem of her shirt, blushing terribly.

"Your friends think I'm hot?" Yuna finally mumbled. She was still doubtful.

"Yup," he announced with a large sigh. He plopped onto her bed, bouncing once before settling into it.

"Would one of them date me… you think?" she asked.

A pause. Their gazes met.

"Um, well…" he scratched his suntanned nose in thought. "Yeah, I guess. Gotta warn you fairly, though. None of them are the character type."

"What do you mean?" Yuna wondered curiously.

He snickered. "I forgot you've never had a boyfriend, Yuna," he laughed. "It means they'll date you as lng as you're still hot."

"Ohhh…"

"Yeah." He shrugged it off. "Hey, wanna see my six pack?"

Yuna blinked at the abrupt subject change. She narrowed her eyes once again, and scoffed loudly.

"That'd have to be a no, Tidus," she remarked flatly. He began to lift off his shirt, much to her dismay.

"Please don't!" she begged, upon seeing his belly button. "I feel like Dona when you do this!"

TIdus stared at her, as if utterly shocked.

"Why?" he asked, but dropped his shirt. "You've known I was working on this pack. You don't have to touch it. You can if you want, though. I'm proud of it."

Yuna sighed, relieved, at his smirk. At least he wasn't offended.

"Hey, speaking of which," Tidus began thoughtfully, "You've never been kissed, right?"

Yuna groaned. "Not this again. This is just awkward… plus, it reminds me how separate we are on the social scale."

"No, come on, I have your future in mind!"

"No, you want me to be the type of girl that _you_ like, which I can't be. Nor do I have any desire to be fore that matter."

Yuna sat next to Tidus, and briefly touched his shoulder. "Tidus, please accept who I am."

The brunette smiled, but her insides moaned from the mere thought of knowing that she wasn't good for him.

"That's not it at all!" Tidus exclaimed. "But you said yourself that you wanted a boyfriend!"

"I never…!"

"Whatever, you implied it." He rolled his ice blue eyes, grinning stupidly. "Do you want me to teach you how to kiss?"

Yuna made a f ace.

"Too exciting for ya?"

"How exactly would you go about that?" she inquired, not exactly sure she wanted to know what his answer was going to be.

"Experience, Yuna. Practice makes perfect!" he winked at her. She was sure he meant it as a joke, but she found it oddly alluring.

"So, you're going to kiss me?" as the straight-forward words slipped past her lips, she felt her face heating.

"Well…" he started, also thrown off by her bluntness, "that's the idea, yeah."

There was a delayed reaction. She wasn't going to lie to herself, she found that idea appealing. She, however, was _not_ going to let him know that.

"Absolutely not," she told him flatly.

"Aw, come on. What happens when you meet the man of your dreams, and it turns out you're a terrible kisser?" he waved his arms around, dramatically, determine not to let that horrific scenario come true. "Then you'd scare him off and you'd never have what you could've."

"It's not that important," Yuna told him quickly.

"You're right," he muttered, "but I really think you should… like… know this."

"I think you're like… insane?" was her simple reply.

"Come on, just once. It's _me_, Yuna." He pouted.

"Alright," she told him, "just once."

"Seriously?" he asked her, disbelieving.

"…Yeah."

There was another odd pause. "Alright," the blonde finally told her, "once and then the whole tutorial."

Tidus leaned towards her, cupping her face gingerly. He leaned closer, his eyes half shut. Their noses brushed for the second time, and he brought his lips near to hers, hearting racing…

Suddenly she yanked away from him.

"Yuna!" he shouted unintentionally.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't think you'd actually do it!" she clasped a hand over her mouth, embarrassed.

Tidus resisted the urge to adamantly agree with Yuna about hot wanting to kiss her. His defenses wanted to kick in, his pride was on his sleeve, and she was one of the only girls to ever pull away from him.

Yuna was still blushing, her fingers resting on her pink lips. Had she been about to kiss… Tidus? No way, there was no _way_ she would be able to accept that…

"Were you just about to… kiss me?" she couldn't believe that the words had even slipped past her lips. She badly wanted an answer.

"Tidus only winked his gorgeous eye at her, and smiled expression shimmering with joy and flirty motives. Yuna rolled her eyes, and her heart sunk to her stomach. She sighed and smacked his arm, playfully.

"What did I tell you?" Yuna told him in mock-sternness, "Don't mess with me!" Tidus proceeded to stroke her flustered cheek.

"Yuna… don't pretend you're not susceptible to my charm, baby…" another mind-numbing beautiful look from the blonde teenager. Yuna pretended not to notice that he called her, 'baby.'

"You're terrible!" Yuna told him, still disappointed about the kiss, and making himrealize it. "Don't try to treat me like those other girls!"

"Alright, alright," Tidus snickered, "but you want to date—Don't say you didn't know what to expect." He hopped up from the bed and sighed, patting his legs as he walked around Yuna's small room.

"Let's check the wardrobe," Tidus said randomly, and threw open her closet door. "Oooh, flashy… you hang your pajamas?" The blonde asked, genuinely curious.

Yuna didn't have much care for him seeing her clothes. She didn't have anything racy in her—

"So, you wear D's now? I knew it!" Tidus swung the beige bra around his fingers admirably.

Yuna was back on her feet in a second. She had obviously forgotten the one she'd thrown in there, exhausted from school one day. Now Tidus had it in his perfect hands and things had turned even more mortifying.

"Tidus, no! Put that down!" Yuna pointed her finger at him as if he were a disobedient puppy.

"This is hot, you know. You're boyfriend is gonna wanna see _this!_" He waved it in the air above her pretty head.

"Don't be such a bully!" Yuna whispered exasperatedly. "You _know _we can't do this now that we're older!" She stopped trying to catch the piece of underclothing. She saw his face soften, and he gave it back to her. She grabbed it and proceeded to fidget nervously.

"Has that big of a chasm come between us?" Tidus's eyes fell slightly, and he put his hands on her shoulders. "You are so beautiful, Yuna."

She looked up at him, eyes wide. This evening couldn't get any better… or nightmarish, because it wasn't real.

"Tidus… I know you're just trying to boost my confidence…"

"Yuna, I know you'll get a great boyfriend," he told her softly.

"But I want…" she looked away. "There's no boy out there for me. Tidus, I'm going to be single forever because no one has morals… or believes I have any value."

"Yuna, don't change for any jerk. Not even me. I'm _so_ not good enough for you. You could be everything that everyone, including _Dona_ can't be," Tidus squeezed her shoulders tenderly.

"You're just sweet," Yuna murmured, thoughtful.

"No, I'm… not."

----

Tidus gave her and enormous hug, pulling her head into the nape of his neck. He leaned his lips into the side of her face and they met her soft, smooth cheek. He let them linger. He didn't want to ever move his lips. She was too precious, too sweet and gullible, too amazing, and too perfect.

He stayed in that position for a long time, longer than his mind wanted to permit, lips pressed against her cool face.

After what seemed like ages, he pulled away, and stared into her gorgeous, bi-colored eyes. He was surprised and relatively amused that her facial expression was dazed.

"How come Dona can have you?" Yuna asked quietly. She wrapped her arms around his middle, and held him closely.

"What?" asked a very startled Tidus before numbly wrapping his arms around the fragile young woman in front of him.

"I want things to be the way they used to be," Yuna mumbled.

"Oh," Tidus responded dumbly, "yeah. I know. Me too, Yuna."

"Tidus…" Yuna began. Tidus felt her clutch him tightly.

"Dona's… cheating on you."

**Ah… well there you have it! Hope you liked it!**


	10. A Proposition

_Chapter Ten: __**A Proposition**_

Tidus was shocked that at such a moment, Yuna was releasing information that, once again, regarded Dona. He absorbed the feel of her tightly clutching arms around him—it must've been hard for her to say. He couldn't sympathize. The news, after all, did not come as a shock.

Dona was a typical scheming and sneaky character, obviously impulsive, and acted before pondering the ramifications. He didn't care. He hadn't for a while, particularly since his attention and cares had been focused on his two loves—blitzball and his best friend. Had he thought of her as a love? He loved her as a best friend.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" Yuna asked quietly, shivering, preparing herself for something that wouldn't come. Tidus bit his lip before speaking.

"I'm thinking," he said simply.

"I'm sorry," she responded slowly, misinterpreting. "Perhaps I should not have said anthing."

The blonde teen was taken aback, but he knew that he should have expected such a response. Yuna had a tendency to apologize for events or people that had nothing to do with her.

"Whoa, Yuna," Tidus began hastily, "Let me just clear the air, here. I don't _care_; barely at all. I mean, a little, because—who would cheat on _me_? I am _gorgeous._"

He laughed at her tense expression; she seemed unsure of whether to laugh or comfort him.

"You're so serious… I was joking. I really don't care, I deserve better."

Yuna chuckled, but it was remarkably stiff.

"Joking, again. Look, it's not the first time Dona's been 'unfaithful,'" he began to explain bitterly.

"Is that so?" Yuna inquired.

"Yes," Tidus scratched the back of his neck. "I wanna say it's like… the seventh?"

Yuna gasped, hand rushing to her lips in horror. "Why are you still with her?"

"Err…" he kicked the ground awkwardly. "She's a good kisser?"

The brunette made a disapproved face.

"I know! See what I mean about my friends being shallow? Me too! Now you _have _to take the kissing tutorial seriously."

The bronzed teenager was expecting another unhappy look from his childhood friend, but she just sighed and sat down on her bed.

"This is hopeless," she mumbled.

"What is?" Tidus wondered aloud.

"Nothing. I hate school."

Tidus was reluctant to speak.

She continued. "I've been here for years, and I only hang out with Lulu and Rikku… now you. So much has happened between us, I don't think it's the same." She fiddled with her hair, pensive, and stared at the floor for a number of moments.

"Well…" he started, "it's not the same; it's gonna keep changing. That's the beauty of it."

"Yeah, but—" her voice was frustrated, "_You_ can pick up form where we left off. _I _can't. There's more, now. I—" she stopped abruptly, struck by thought.

"It's not going to be easy, we gotta accept that."

"I want _one _thing in life to be easy," she dropped her face into her small hands.

"Flirting's easy," Tidus remarked suggestively with a wink. "Want to give it a go?"

"Tidus."

"How about this…" Tidus tapped his chin excitedly. "We get Dona _back_."

"You know that I don't do that!" her expression was almost offended that he would conjure up such an idea that was so against her morals. "No!"

"Wait, wait," Tidus muttered quickly. "We get our revenge by _not _stooping to her level."

The brunette cocked her head sweetly to the side. He was redy for her to exclaim, "Oh, whatever do you mean, dear?"

"What are you getting at?" was, instead, her flat question.

"_You_ go out with _me,_ and we can show her _maturely _what I look for in a girl." He clicked his tongue, relatively impressed with himself.

"No."

"Aw, why not?" came Tidus's disheartened reply.

"You want me to go out with you to get your revene on Dona." She fiddled with her thumbs. "That's just demeaning… after you get bored, you'd just break up with me."

"Uh, uh… I-I—" he stammered. He actually had a certain, curious desire to date Yuna. It would give him a valid excuse to hang out more with his best friend.

"Exactly," she interrupted the stuttering Tidus. "Plus, I'd be eaten alive by the whole of the female student body…" she scoffed in disbelief. "Do you know how vicious they can be?"

"Yup. I've been dating her for awhile, now. Kinda hard to miss." All this talk of Dona made him realize even more what an idiot he was in dating her. Still, it always seemed smart when he rationalized to himself. He had an image to pamper. Duh. Why else would he put up with the walking STD?

"I just don't think it will be a good idea…" she avoided his eyes self-consciously. "If you like me just because Dona's not good enough."

"Ah, I see. Well, how about this? You're worried that we've drifted apart. Which we have, because _someone_ won't take lessons…"

He ignored the skeptical look the aggravated teen threw at him.

"So… how's this? We get to know each other. We make up for lost time. Then you date me."

"Tidus… you're my friend. You were my best friend. Listen to me, I sound pitiable, really, but… I don't know a thing about dating, or kissing, I…"

As she trailed off, he couldn't help but consider and weigh what she said. She was the most inexperienced girl he had ever met. He scratched his cheek. Then it struck him; what did he consider "inexperienced"? Yeah, she couldn't even kiss. She didn't know how to flirt. So what? She was nice, caring, and extremely sweet… She didn't wear clothes that showed off her body. So what? She was Yuna. She was _perfect, _and he _wanted_ her to be his girlfriend. He was used to getting what he wanted.

Plus, training her to be a girlfriend would be cute.

"See what I mean?" she mumbled.

"Hey, why the long face? Once I break up with Dona, she'll blame you anyway."

"Tidus! Oh my goodness, I didn't even consider that…"

"Exactly," he continued selling. "So, why not? At least, let's get to know each other, okay?" he pouted at the end. No one could resist Tidus's pouts.

"Fine. If we go somewhere decent."

_Knew it._

"Would I take you anywhere _indecent?_" he inquired. "Unless the mall is somehow indecent. Like people making out. Unless it's us."

Yuna blushed. He knew she still thought he was flattering her.

Which… he was.

Yeah, of course. He just wanted to be her best friend again. Yeah.

"So, what do we do until then?" she asked the excited blonde with considerably less enthusiasm.

"You mean we're not leaving now?" he cocked his head to the side implying that they should leave _now._

"What! If they catch us, they'll think we're playing hooky."

"So? Come on, no one will catch us."

"Ti—"

"Come _on_!" he yanked the complaining Yuna off of the bed, and swept his arm under her legs. She yelped before turning the color of a tomato.

"Off to… where are we going?" he asked lamely.

"You're _going _to put me down!" she retorted exasperatedly.

"Hmm… bad play on words, Yunie." Despite her bad joke, he put her down, and beckoned to her, signaling her to follow him.

She did—rather reluctantly. Tidus's heart swelled as she nervously walked after him.

"You're as excited about this as I am. You just don't want to get caught."

"Yeah, well it _has been_ for years…" she smiled sweetly, looking up at him with trust. Even though he'd _betrayed_ her trust, avoided her in the beginning…

"You're right. Too long." He grinned with feeling, and saw her eyes fluttering. _Who is she kidding? _He thought amusedly. _She can't react like that and then say she isn't even a _little_ attracted to me._ But he didn't say it. He didn't want to embarrass her until they were out of the house and long gone.

"How about we go get something to eat?" Yuna wondered aloud, tapping her chin daintily. "If you're forcing me to go with you, I might as well enjoy it, right?"

He smiled again. "And with that said… ladies first…" he bowed dramatically.

"I don't think I can safely picture you being a gentleman," Yuna told him, giggling.

"I'm quite the ladies' man. Girls come up to me and say, 'please, Tidus! Can we just take a picture with you so that I can show my friends how close we've gotten?' And who am I to deny my fangirls?"

"Fangirls?" Yuna repeated amusedly. "I see you've gotten popular."

"Yeah. I mean, I was smoking hot when we lived in Bevelle. Now we live in Luca… like, the biggest place _ever_, and I'm _still_ the hottest guy around. You should consider yourself lucky." He smiled at her back as she descended the stairs after exiting her quaint room.

She turned to flash him a smile. "I do."

"Y-You do what?" he stuttered, dumbfounded.

"I _do_ consider myself lucky. And thanks in advance." Her eyes lingered on him momentarily, but she soon continued down the staircase.

"No problem, baby," Tidus responded playfully.

Yuna ignored him.

"Oh!" Yuna gasped. "I automatically assumed you were paying, I didn't even think of getting any money…"

"That's because I _am_ paying. Please, help me spend some of this money, I have tons."

Yuna giggled. His heart rate increased when she looked at him. "I guess I knew you could be a gentleman, after all," she said.

"Exactly. So, where do you want to eat?" he asked, flipping his blonde hair lightly.

"Ummm… how about we go to a place that makes food like in Besaid?" Yuna offered excitedly.

"Whatever floats your boat," he told her, "I know just the place."

Tidus extended his toned arm and twisted the doorknob, pulling the door open for her.

"Ladies first," he said again.

"Thank you, Tidus."

"Charming, aren't I?" he winked.

"Charming, cocky, same difference," she winked back. He didn't voiced it, but thought, _Yuna winking equals HOT._

"Back to the 'stang," Yuna said happily.

"A.K.A Sexymobile," he elaborated.

"I'm reluctant to get in your car after you named it that."

"Which is why I said it in the first place, Pretty Girl."

She gracefully slid in the car after sticking her tongue out cutely at him.

"So, we're going to this place called _The High Beach._ I know, not a very brilliant name, but the food there is amazing. So I hear."

"I'm willing to trust you on that," Yuna said with a small smile.

"Awesome… But… it's a good half hour away."

"I don't mind," she shrugged lightly. "I like long drives."

"Even more awesome. So…"

"So?"

"Let's star the 'getting to know one another' bit, 'kay?" Tidus started boldly. He patted the steering wheel in anticipation. "You go first."

She glanced at him, apparently anxious. "You go first, Tidus."

"Fine…" he mocked exasperation. "Is your favorite color still green? He inquired while looking in his side view mirrors to see if he could get in the right lane.

"No, it's blue." He noticed her blush and look away, pretending to be interested in something outside of the window.

"Why did you blush at _that_?" Tidus laughed, nearly snorting at the panicked expression on her innocent face.

"I blush at everything! Th-There's no exception about this time."

"Uh-huh. I'll find out why. Anyway, it's your turn to ask something. And I swear, if it's about Dona…"

Yuna laughed heartily, taking Tidus aback. It was melodic sound, or maybe he was just biased, and everything Yuna said or did was pure and melodic.

…Such was the result of being with Dona for so long.

"I'm sorry," she said, still laughing lightly, "we talk about her way too often. Hmm… how about this… what do you love to do? Besides blitzball." She eyed him expectantly.

"And I could've sworn that you would ask _my_ favorite color," he remarked playfully.

She giggled. Music to his ego—ears. Yeah, ears.

"I love to… _watch _blitz."

She gave him a look.

"Alright, alright… I love to hang out with my friends. I love to talk, laugh, and make out." He laughed at her surprised reaction. "Joking. Kinda. Hobby-wise, I don't know… I like to cook. Did you know that?" he looked at her briefly before getting in the passing lane.

"No, I didn't!" she said. "When will I get to try it?"

"Just say the word. Keep in mind, I said that I _like _to cook. Not that I was _good_ at it. I put random crap together and call it cooking." He grinned widely, pondering his apparent lack of skill in the culinary field.

"Are you just being modest?" she asked the blonde.

"Probably."

"See? You're capable of being humble."

"Not for long periods of time." He turned his head to look at her. She was already looking at him. Smiles slowly crept on both of their faces.

"WATCH OUT!" Yuna suddenly shouted, and yanked the steering wheel. Tidus felt his body slide into the door, as the car jeered to the right.

"Oh, jeez," the blonde ruffled his hair with a chuckle. "Thanks, Yuna. Would've missed my turn if not for you." He slowed, and took a right.

"Oh, yes," she started breathily, "forget about your life… your almost missed your important turn…"

"Eh, scrapes like that happen all the time. I'm personally surprised that I'm not dead yet."

Yuna gaped at him. He held back laughter with difficulty.

When the tan teenager hopped out of car, Yuna followed suit. The restaurant before her looked classy. Light tones of mostly beige covered the front—it successfully reminded her of Besaid. _The High Beach_ loomed beautifully above their heads. Tidus placed his hand on Yuna's back, ushering her in. Needless to say, she was extremely distracted from the lovely exterior design because of the contact.

The inside was just as lovely as the outside. However, unlike the exterior, the interior appeared to be a chunk of Besaid, itself; the typical format of a restaurant on Besaid. Gentle music played in the background.

"Come on, let's find a seat," Tidus coaxed from behind her. Yuna appeared to be in awe, which, in Tidus's book, meant he had picked a good place.

"Charming, aren't I?" He repeated, pulling out her seat, wiggling his eyebrows knowingly.

"Yes, Tidus…" she smiled. "What do you want, anyway?"

"To have a good time, right?" he said, aware that he appeared suspicious. That's what made it fun.

"So, do you know what you're going to get?" Tidus asked, playing with the menus on the table top.

"Umm… yeah, I always get the same thing. Do you?" she gazed at him curiously. Her beautiful eyes hooked him. He gazed back at her. She continued to look back at him inquisitively.

"Hey, brudda!" Cut in a heavy accented voice. Yuna tore their connection, and looked up at the waiter. Tidus did the same, though he knew who it was already.

"What's up, Chappu?" he said, grinning mischievously again. The man stood before him, lean but very toned, with flaming red hair and a warm smile glued to his face.

"You should be in school, ya?" he laughed at Tidus's goofy air. "I say it, but it's not like you don't know."

"School got dull," the cocky teenager commented casually, "What can I say?"

Chappu shrugged at him and turned his attention to Yuna.

"Got yourself a new girl, ya?" he said, smiled at her. Tidus could see that Yuna had already noticed the similarities in Tidus's and Chappu's facial features. He could also see that she didn't take the label "another girl."

"Nah, she's just a friend," the blonde muttered quickly.

"Hard to believe, hard to believe…" Chappu shook his head slightly. "She has an innocent face, so you better be nice to her, Ti."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Tidus starts bein' a you-know-what, you just tell ya big brudda, Chappu," he told Yuna with a good-hearted wink.

Yuna smiled genuinely in response. "Are you Wakka's brother?" she asked.

"Yeah! You know Wakka, ya? Same way Ti does?"

"Barely," she admitted with a polite frown. "But Lulu's my best friend, and I thought I knew your name…"

He looked surprised. "Lu? Yeah, we go way back…" he paused. "Well, I think I should get your orders now, ya?"

"Uh, _ya,_" Tidus replied in what he thought was a comical manner.

"Ha ha," Chappu said flatly. "Okay. Ladies first. What will you have to drink, uh…?"

"Yuna," she giggled politely. "I'll have some coke."

_She must be so tired of hearing 'ladies first…' _thought Tidus.

"And what will you be havin'?" he pulled out his handy dandy notebook.

"Your 'Exotic Entrée," she said.

"Good pick. Brudda?" Chappu said ad he turned to Tidus. The blonde knew that the redhead had memorized his order by now.

"A hamburger and fries. Oh, and grape soda. Since I like to live on the wild side," he told the bronzed waiter.

"That's it, ya?"

"_Ya,_" Tidus shot back.

"Not funny, Ti," Chappu smirked. He joted down the orders and left the two behind.

Tidus then realized his best friend was staring at him.

"What?" he asked her. He let out a cocky grin here and there.

"Y-You…" she stammered. "You drove me _all the way _here, and you don't even _like_ the food here?"

Tidus shrugged. "It's no big deal," he commented absently. "Whatever floats your boat, remember?"

"I take back what I said before. You are charming, Tidus," Yuna laughed. "Maybe you are quite the gentleman."

"The world may never know." Tidus was pleased with himself. He was _actually_ winning Yuna's admiration.

"This is nice…" she cooed, now playing with the menus on the table. "Almost like a…"

"Date?" he helped.

The words didn't have time to register. A new, articulate and semi-stunned voice rang out, interrupting Tidus's mack on _once again._ "Yuna!"

Yuna's head snapped up, automatically thinking somebody had caught her in the act of ditching class when she was supposed to be home, apparently ill.

A tall man strode over to the two friends sitting across from each other. He was good-looking enough, pale, with absurdly blue hair that was tied in an artistic ribbon.

"Seymour?" Yuna shouted, relieved, and now also surprised. "Seymour Guado?"

"Yes." He smile. It creeped Tidus out. It was doting… in a weird, predatory manner.

"You… look wonderful," Seymour said, eyeing Yuna with interest—not subtly.

"Oh, you too! Look how tall you've gotten!"

The tan blitz player did _not_ like this guy. "Excuse me," he chimed in assertively. "Who are you?"

It took some time for the blue-haired man to pry his eyes off of the fragile girl in front of him. He seemed to be sizing her up, taking in her whole image, and trying to commit it to memory. Finally, he divulged his gaze on Tidus.

"I apologize. How rude of me. I am Seymour Guado. Yuna and I dated a couple of years back…." His attention slid to the brunette beside Tidus.

Tidus's jaw dropped.

_Is… that why her favorite color is blue?_ Tidus wondered before shooting a glare at Seymour Guado in violent jealousy.

**Hahaha… hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Semi-cliffhanger. Oooh… It'll be fun to write more reactions. Tidus needs a little bit of rivalry, don't you think? I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Thanks for all the amazing support! You're the bomb!**

**Read and review, please!**

**Love ya lots!**

**Miko**


	11. I Love You

_Chapter Eleven_: **I Love You**

The only thing she could do was stare at Tidus's face contort in horror in response to Seymour's audacious comment. It was obviously a blatant lie, and yet the blonde wasn't picking up on it. She figured it was the same as Tidus saying that he had "fangirls" and chicks waiting to take pictures with him—though, she began to wonder if that was really a lie.

"Seymour!" Yuna began, attempting to tidy up the situation, "you know that we didn't…" she faltered. Tidus looked so betrayed upon _falsely_ realizing that Yuna had lied to him about having had a boyfriend before.

"You can't deny the feelings we had for one another," the lean, blue-haired man said smoothly. The more he spoke, the more Yuna could sympathize with Tidus's confusion. Seymour said everything in the same tone, with the same smile plastered on his face. You'd have to know him really well to discern between truth and falsity.

"Seymour!" shouted the brunette heatedly. She watched Tidus wearily cradle his forehead with his propped up hand.

"Yuna," said Tidus quietly, "I mean, I know it's been a _long_ time… but I thought we were being completely honest with each other."

"What's this?" Seymour inquired, leering at Tidus while standing over him. "Are you two in a relationship?"

Tidus and Yuna both ignored the looming man. Her thoughts were racing—she didn't want him to regret having been so honest this far—what base would their relationship have, if not honesty?

"Tidus, you _know_ I would never lie to you." She was quickly growing upset. He wasn't even looking at her, he wasn't even giving her the benefit of the doubt. Did he not know her better than this?

"That's what I thought, too," he mumbled dejectedly.

"I have never lied to you, and I never will. So _don't_ accuse me of it!" Tears pricked the back of her eyes, and threatened to become visible. She was distantly aware of Seymour's amused air, but she was too worried about Tidus; things couldn't go back to the way they were before!

"How do you explain what he said?" the blitz player snapped, jerking his head in the direction of Seymour, who was spectating with raised eyebrows.

"He's… lying," Yuna replied quietly, guilty for calling out her old friend on a lie. Tidus's head snapped up to glare at the blue-haired man, whose pleasant demeanor was unchanged.

"Oh, my. Wishful thinking. I merely _wished_ Yuna and I had been dating at that time…" he never spared Tidus over five seconds. His gays always nested comfortably on Yuna.

"I daresay we had quite the connection," he continued, admiring. "She was my only friend for quite the while… so selfless. It's enviable, really."

Yuna blushed and avoided Seymour's eyes. She let her attention linger on Tidus, just glad that he was making eye contact with her instead of mentally stabbing holes into _The High Beach_'s tabletop menus.

"Of couse," Seymour began again in his characteristically high voice, "she always spoke quite highly of you, Tidus. The blitz star with _golden _hair… I understand you left her. Hm."

Yuna pointedly examined the grains in the wooden table, pretending to be highly fascinated with the patterns. She felt blood rush through her veins, heart pumping faster, motivated by sheer mortification. When she finally dared to look up, Tidus was staring at her, impassive. She snuck a pleading look at Seymour, but he had delegated his attention to her blonde companion.

"I—I think that's enough, Seymour. Tidus doesn't want to know about us—"

"On the contrary, Yuna, it's quite interesting." He seemed to glide to her side. "May I sit?"

Detesting a lack of courtesy, she quickly responded, "Oh! Yes… of course…"

It perturbed Yuna that Tidus's expression remained unreadable. He was typically exuberant and… predictable. She didn't know what he was thinking, he was calculating. He wasn't giving Seymour the satisfaction of basking in his normally immature reactions.

"Yes, in fact," the plae intruder spoke smoothly, "I stole adorable Yuna's first kiss."

Yuna saw the blonde's jaw clenching. "You did _what?_"

Yuna shot Seymour a desperate look.

"Ah, forgive me," he chuckled upon seeing her face. "I very nearly stole her first kiss."

Tidus noticeably stiffened. He knew Yuna's old classmate was playing with him. His cerulean eyes narrowed; Yuna thought he was trying to will Seymour to combust into flames.

"Stop deliberately lying," she whispered to him, trying to convey the depth of the desperation she felt—she just wanted to have a nice meal. "You're really upsetting me."

He did not cease smiling. "Oh, but Yuna… I don't mean to say such things… that's just how I wish it had happened. How I hope it will still happen." He stared at her for a few seconds, and then began to caress her cheek. His hands were cold. She thought about how Tidus was like the sun—gorgeous, radiating heat and life.

"Seymour, back off, will you?" Tidus interjected. It appeared he'd given up on the passive approach. Yuna had nearly forgotten he was there. She exhaled with relief. She inhaled sharply again as she realized that Seymour was leaning into her—she soon realized that she was leaning _away_ from him. Her head softly knocked against the wall of the booth.

The pale face twisted into a smirk. _He's handsome,_ Yuna thought, _like the devil._ She gasped at the thought and at the smirk, and he was still leaning into her—

"I said back _off!"_ Tidus's voice rang in her ears like the song of an angel—an irate angel, but anything better than the devil. She watched, dazed, as Tidus lept up and slammed Seymour's shoulder into the back of the cushioned seat. The blitz player stood tense, awaiting a reaction.

The pale, elegant man smiled at Tidus, but his eyes were remarkably condescending. He slowly stood up. Yuna could not help but to notice that Seymour was… much taller than the blonde.

"Your pet is agitated, Yuna," Seymour observed coldly. "We will converse on another day, perhaps." He turned gracefully on his heel, nodded in salutations towards Yuna, and headed towards the exit. Tidus stood rigidly until Seymour's electric blue hair was no longer visible through _The High Beach_'s large windows.

She watched as he visibly relaxed, and plopped down next to her. "No offense, but I really hate that guy," he told her simply, running his fingers through his layered hair.

"He's… eccentric," Yuna defended pitifully, "and he's not very sociable either. We had some things in common, but not much. He mostly just had a hard life and needed a friend." She remembered that he'd been a very angry child, and more often than not, extremely defensive.

"So you liked him?" said Tidus bitterly, startling the brunette away from nostalgic thoughts.

"No," she giggled at the thought of liking Seymour. He'd been shorter than her last time they'd been acquainted. "I never actually liked anyone." _After you left me, there was no one else._ She bit her lip, feeling the gnawing in her chest resume.

"Not anyone," he repeated doubtfully, still sulking about the encounter.

Yuna tried to be patient. "No, Tidus," she said, as if to a stubborn child, "I thought I told you I'd never lie to you. And just because I didn't make that much of an impact on _you_ as a female, doesn't mean you never made one on _me._"

Tidus's gaze was inquisitive. A smirk sat at home on his lips. "What does that mean? 'As a female'?"

"Well," she fiddled with the menu again. "You always saw me as a friend, not a… you know… like the other girls…"

She began to feel rather hot around the neck and the ears, and knew that the more she tried to suppress the heat, the redder her face would become. She scooted closer to the wall, only to discover that there was on space left to scoot over.

"Ha ha!" Tidus laughed. She saw him grinning cockily from the corner of her eye. "Do I make you uncomfortable?"

_Extremely._ "Well, it's… you're a boy, and I'm a girl," she explained pathetically, digging herself into a ditch of no return.

"No, it's nice," he told her, flirty, "it means you're attracted to me. Admit it. It's been killing you, so you might as well get it off your chest." He sidled up next to her, so that their thighs were touching.

"Tidus, you're a little too close—"

"—for comfort? Admit it," he breathed. She felt his warm breath on her cheek… her vision was getting a little hazy…

"Yes," she whispered, "you're attractive."

"Are you attracted _to_ me?" he breathed into her ear. Yuna turned to look at him, and got lost in the blue depths of his eyes. She wouldn't be able to lie…

"Tidus!" she looked away from him. "Don't make me answer that question!"

"Why not?" the blonde inquired. She knew he was confident of the answer.

"Are you attracted to _me?_" Yuna said exasperatedly. At Tidus's taken aback look, she hurriedly exclaimed, "please don't answer that!" and quickly diverted her eyes.

"Why not?" he repeated dumbly.

"Because I'm scared of the answer!" As soon as she said it, she wished she hadn't—it would only push Tidus harder—and now that he wasn't one hundred percent sure what _her_ answer would be, he would only work harder to get it out of her. What then?

He laughed, it was small, intimate, still so close to her ear. Her heart was fluttering, and her stomach itself felt like it was shaking. She didn't know what to do with her body. Every fiber of her being felt like it was being magnetized to him.

"Yuna…" she felt his hand caress her neck, then he was pushing hair behind her ear. Electric shocks went through her body. How could he know that such a simple thing as stroking her hair could light up her soul?

"Tidus, please…" _Be gentle,_ she wanted to say, but he was—physically, anyway. He wouldn't understand what she meant.

"Please, what, Pretty Girl? Please kiss you?" He laughed again. "Why is your skin so hot, Yuna? Am I flustering you?" More chuckling.

"You're too experienced at this, it isn't fair," she moaned. She nearly closed her eyes and just let the heat take her, but then he would get answers out of her. Embarrassing ones, and she was too scared of the prospects.

"Experienced at what, Yuna? Be specific," he ran golden fingers through brown hair.

"Tidus—"

"Get off'a her you man whore!"

The Besaidian accent snapped Yuna out of her reverie, and she heard Tidus sigh. His fingers left her hair.

"I'm gone for twenty minutes, and you're already trying to get her pregnant, ya! I got your food, and you better enjoy it. I should kick you out for playing with poor Miss Yuna! She's too good for you!" Chappu set down a platter of fries and a burger in front of Tidus, and a plate of catfish in front of Yuna. "She's too good for you," he said again.

The brunette smiled, grateful for not only the food, but for interrupting something—she didn't quite know _what_.

"Next time I come over here, you better be keepin' it to yourself, ya!"

"You forgot my grape soda," Tidus replied simply.

" 'Forgot my grape soda' he says! Huh! Miss Yuna, you just call on your brudda Chappu if you want a ride home, safe from the rapist."

She giggled. "Thank you, Chappu."

"Hey! I am anything _but_ a rapist!"

Yuna could tell by the twitching corners of Chappu's mouth, that he was having fun exaggerating Tidus's behavior—and seeing as Tidus wasn't offended by it, she assumed this kind of joking happened pretty frequently.

"Ya, ya, just enjoy your food, you ingrate…"

-----

It made Tidus's day to see her walk into her house laughing. He felt like he'd done a good deed—not just to Yuna, but to the world—that's how important it was that she was happy. And when she sobbed onto his shirt earlier that day, he felt like his heart had been wrenched out—only, how could he portray that without saying something superficial like, "it hurts me when you cry," or sounding like a complete dork?

"It's been such a long time since I had fish as great as that, thank you so much for taking me." She smiled at him. For a split second, he imagined holding her face, and showing her how much he loved her just with his lips.

"Heyyy, it's no problem. I had a great time." He couldn't shake the feeling that her lips belonged to him, he wanted to finally own up to that possession, to have her be his—it seemed to fit together so perfectly… but what was it? Lust? He'd felt that for Dona easily enough, and as soon as he kissed her, he'd gotten bored with everything else about her.

_That won't happen with Yuna,_ he told himself, but suddenly he wasn't sure.

"You okay?" she looked up at him, so small and concerned. A smile played on his lips.

He grabbed her hips, and pulled her closer into him. "Dance with me."

"I-I don't dance!" she stammered, half-heartedly pulling away from him. He ran his hand slowly up her side, let it linger on her ribcage, then slide his hand down her arm, and intertwined his fingers with hers. He felt her shiver.

"Dance with me." Both his hands were back on her hips.

He felt her arms shakily and indecisively rest on his shoulders, and hook around his neck. He grinned. She was right, he did have far more experience than her at this, and he was basking in it.

"How are we going to dance without any music?" she whispered. Her arms began to slacken; he knew she was about to retreat.

"Shh, shhh… loosen up, Yuna. We can sing a song. _If you wanna be my lover, you gotta with my friends…"_

"The Spice Girls?" Yuna giggled, and he felt her body relax beneath his fingers. Staring into her bi-colored eyes, he had to imagine the conflict going on inside of her. The foreign, uncomfortable feeling of being hot and bothered and embarrassed—and yet, somewhere deep down, enjoying it. He knew she was having a good time, it was just a matter of finding out whether it was the type of good time that she had with her friends, or… with a guy. A guy who she maybe found attractive.

He stopped dancing.

"What's wrong?" Yuna blurted, immediately tensing.

Tidus couldn't help but laugh. "Nothing," he said eyes dancing, "it's just—"

_Briiiing. Riiing. Briiiing._

Tidus rolled his eyes and released Yuna. _Every time, something _has _to interrupt,_ he thought bitterly. He noticed her staring at him, smiling. Just smiling. He couldn't help but smile back.

"You better get that," he said, scratching his neck.

She swirled around and walked around her kitchen table to the phone. She clicked a button. "Hello? Oh, hey, Seymour. How'd you get my number?"

Tidus's jaw dropped—the dirty stalker! He looked around the house for another phone, and luckily spotted one, hanging on the wall of the hallway leading to the living room. He picked it up and clicked over and then strode back into the kitchen.

He caught the end of Seymour saying, "—phone book."

"Oh," Yuna responded distractedly, spotting Tidus with the phone. She waved her hand at him, gesturing for him to hang up the phone. He feigned innocence, shrugging, and sat down at the kitchen table.

"Well, something I can help you with?"

Tidus heard her voice in the room and over the phone—it was kind of funny, but he wasn't going to let himself get distracted.

"Yes."

Yuna waited patiently, biting her lip while watching Tidus inaudibly scowl. When Seymour didn't say anything for a few more moments, Yuna began again.

"I—"

"I love you," Seymour interrupted. Yuna gasped, and Tidus felt his jaw drop. He gaped at Yuna. Yuna ogled Tidus.

"Seymour, I…"

"I love you, Yuna."

The more he spoke, the more bile Tidus could feel swimming up his throat, revulsion seeped through every bit of his soul, and he wanted nothing more than to just punch the blue-haired freak in the face.

"Seymour—"

"Go out with me, Yuna."

He could imagine his freaky, smiling face, leering, staring at Yuna in a way that was _not appropriate._ He looked to Yuna, knowing that she was going to make the right decision. He nodded assertively to her. Yuna paused, then nodded back, her face a mask of courage.

"Yes, Seymour, I will go out with you."

Tidus dropped the phone, and the clunk as it hit the wooden table seemed to echo throughout the room. The last thing he heard was Seymour say, "Splendid, see you tomorrow," and then… just the tormenting cry of a dial tone.

----

**What did you guys think? Did you like this chapter? I was rather fond of it. I just wanted to say, I'm sooo incredibly sorry for not having this chapter in sooner, I'm going to more than one school right now, so time is incredibly scare, and there isn't much spare time for writing. Seeing as it is Thanksgiving Break, I will try to get another chapter in before school starts up again, and even then, I will try to update more regularly. I'm terrible, I know! Blame education! I hope that his chapter lived up to your expectations and anticipation. Thank you so much for you amazing support. It means the world to me. And I'm so thankful for you guys this thanksgiving.**

**Miko**


	12. The Need

**Ugh! All the time youguys had to endure… it's ridiculous and I'm sorry. You've all been so faithful and amazing… the fandom hasn't been prospering as much, has it? I've been having a lot of writer's block, and there hasn't been as many High School FFX fics anymore! Guess the world's moving on to greener pastures… (what am I saying, ARE there any greener pastures than the pastures in FFX? No! No!) I'm going to two schools so my workload has effectively tripled. D: I find this chapter inadequate, but at least it will take me to a new place! I love you tons, thanks sooooo much for being incredibly supporting and helpful and reminding me how much I love this fandom because of youguys. Enjoy.**

_Chapter Twelve: __**The Need**_

Tidus slowly picked up the crying phone, and tried to settle his stomach by solidly clenching his jaw. He pressed the end button—it seemed to be mocking him. He didn't look at Yuna immediately, though her silence perturbed him. Guilt was somewhere under the heat of his eyes, but he ignored it due to the burning somewhere else.

Like acid, it was painful, but fuel—was it anger? No. Something more primitive. Jealously? Perhaps; but then he knew it was even simpler—pride. He pressed talk on the phone, then end. Talk. End. Talk. It was because he wasn't used to this—this elongated play. He wasn't manipulating Yuna (though flirting could be argued as manipulation), but he'd felt the _need_ to manipulate her arise on more than one occasion.

_I'm desperate,_ Tidus thought, and recoiled inwardly. He was used to getting any girl, anywhere, at any time of the day—and he felt like he'd been spending too much time on Yuna to be instantly rejected in favor of some blue-haired freak that wasn't even good-looking. Or funny. Or smart. Or straight, probably.

"Tidus?"

Guilt bubbled in his inside again. He knew he had put Yuna in the same category as Dona—as any girl that he wanted. A mental folder labeled "challenges." And the worst part was that the innocent brunette realized it before he had, and he'd convinced her she was wrong when she'd been right all along.

Under all the powerful emotions saturating bronze skin with red hues, he was confused. What did Seymour have that he didn't? What did _anyone_ have inside of their souls, inside of their bodies, that attracted this girl to them instead of… him?

Again. "Tidus?" Concern in her voice.

"_Why_ did you say yes to him, Yuna?" And he let his gaze soak in the beauty of her liquid-colored eyes. "Why did you say you'd go out with him?"

Her face was bewildered. A hand went to her hair to stroke it out of her face. "I'd been thinking about it…" she looked away from Tidus and wrung her hands together.

"I'd been thinking and… I thought, _Yuna, you n eed to have this experience and you can't have with anyone else because Tidus is taken and would get bored—"_

His heart leapt at her words. She'd thought of him first.

"—_and everyone else is shallow._ And I knew Seymour wouldn't hurt me, and I know he only likes me for my personality, and… it could be fun…" her voice trailed off, and Tidus kept thinking that all those qualities and traits _he _had in him, not Seymour.

"And when I really wasn't sure, I looked at you, and you nodded, encouraged me… So I knew that was what I was supposed to do…"

Tidus smacked himself in the forehead. "Ah, Yuna, that wasn't a 'say yes' nod! That was a 'do what you have to do' nod!" He groaned and rubbed his eyes with tanned fingers. Yuna could've just as easily said no! And that was worse… because if she so boldly took his advice, that meant he was in the 'friends' category.

"Well," Yuna began softly, "guess I can't change it now." She giggled, though it sounded forced and relatively disappointed.

"Yuna…"

"Do you want something to drink?" she inquired lightly, turning to the cabinets to get cups. "You prefer plastic cups, right? Over glass?"

The blonde didn't respond, but she already knew the answer to his question. He wanted to take it back—his take on their relationship. She was much more complex than girl. She was _his_ girl, Pretty Girl. Yuna, his childhood friend. He would do anything for her. He imagined walking slowly behind her, putting his rough hands on her soft shoulders, turning her around, and kissing her. But differently—gentle, asking permission, not bold or cocky, just himself—doting and vulnerable in ways he wasn't used to being. But he would do anything for her. And right now that meant giving her her personal space.

_I better own up to it, _he thought with humor, _I _like_ Yuna._ Still. He wondered what she'd do if he told her that right now. Probably deny it. He snickered.

"Aaand… here's your coke." She set down an orange plastic cup before him that has Jack-o-lanterns around the rim. "So… what do you want to do now?" he could tell she felt a little awkward, having made a decision that Tidus vehemently opposed.

"I want you to promise me something," Tidus said, cocky grin back, charm nestling itself in Yuna's spine, making her sit erect and flustered.

"Promise you… what?" she smiled back, because it was impossible not to reciprocate his joy, but she narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"No, no," Tidus said, "promise _first,_ then I'll tell you the promise!"

"That sounds horrible!"

He laughed. "I promise, it's something you'd be okay with."

"No! If I'm okay with it, why not just tell me?"

Point taken. "Promise me you won't kiss that creepy." Yuna opened her mouth to speak. "Hold on, hold on… there's more."

He chuckled at her abashed expression. "Promise you at least won't kiss him first. Promise me… that I can be your first kiss."

Yuna's face reddened and she stuttered incomprehensibly for several seconds.

"But I'm serious," he told her, "even if you hate my guts, end up in love with Seymour, become a nun, or whatever… promise me I'll be your first kiss."

She was speechless. What he was really saying was, _I want to kiss you. And… I'm going to._

Tidus left a little while later because they knew Cid would be getting home, and, not that they had done anything immoral, he just didn't want to get stuck in a situation where it could've been speculated that he was trying to knock up his niece. It would've been awkward. Tidus left her in mortified pieces and consistently made her wonder what would've happened if she hadn't accepted Seymour.

When Rikku got home, it was difficult not to spill every single comment or compliment Tidus had bestowed upon her—but she restrained herself because she wanted to savor the private moment for a little while longer.

Luckily Rikku had some news.

"Whew!" she exclaimed as she plopped on Yuna's bed. "Today was the bomb!"

"Is that so?" Yun asked absently. Rikku's hair had caught the light and resembled the shade of Tidus's for a moment.

"Yeahhhh. There's a bunch of new hot transfer students at L.I., and _baby, _I'm excited to get to know them, if you know what I mean!" Rikku wiggled her eyebrows, and Yuna laughed at her animated cousin.

"Are they here for blitzball?" she asked, thinking of Shuyin.

"Eh, some of them, but I think those are individual cases. There's a couple schools that shut down 'cause of poor management and flukes in the grading system, as well as a noticeable lack of funds. It was brought to the attention of some kinda local government when there was a big machina accident nearby. That's what Lulu says anyway!" She shrugged.

"Oh, that's terrible," said Yuna.

"Yeah, but a lot of the students are really talented and smart," Rikku continued, "there's this guy Nooj, who is like an artistic prodigy, right? And Baralai, who's next in line to become praetor of Bevelle—"

Yuna gasped.

"I know, right? And there's Gippal—" she paused for dramatic effect, eyes big, a huge smile plastered on her face, "—the sexiest man I have ever _seen_. Delicious! Al Bhed and yummy!"

Yuna giggled. Her curiosity was peaked. "What's he look like?"

"Hmmm…" hummed Rikku, "sexy face, sexy bod, sexy hair—but to be specific, his hair is like… blonde and spiky, right? And he's really tan. Face is kinda longish? But that's not the best part. The way he works machine, it's like he's talking to them. He could throw a wrench at a broken tractor and it'd hum to life in the best condition it's ever been in!" she sighed in pleasure.

"Did you talk to him?" Yuna asked with her head cocked delicately to the side.

"Are you kidding, Yunie!" Rikku exclaimed. "Of course not! Looking like this? I'm in need of some major sexification!"

"That's not where you're charm comes from," Yuna told her gently. "Your personality is what's so attractive to all those guys, you know."

"Awww," Rikku smiled, "you're so sweet! But so stupid when it comes to men!"

Yuna inwardly agreed. Tidus had implied it himself.

"Men don't care about personality, Yunie! They care if you got the body, the boobs, the butt! Have you seen my butt? My boobs? No one has! They don't exist!"

"Rikku…" Yuna started, simultaneously amused and weary of Rikku's alert and hyperactive character. "Anyone who likes you for that isn't worth it. You can never be happy with them for long."

Rikku's lips sagged in a glossy pout. "Do those types of guys exist in real life?"

"Perhaps."

"Perhaps?"

"There are a few…"

The Al Bhed narrowed her eyes in sudden suspicion. "Like who?"

"Maybe… do you remember Seymour from our… um, younger years?" the brunette inquired quietly.

"Tall, glasses, blue-haired freak?"

"Well…"

"The gay one?"

"He's not gay," Yuna giggled, though she'd intended at first to reprimand. "He… asked me out."

"Ew, what a creepy! Although he is a hot one. Never really looked because he always had that creepy smile like a pedophi—"

"I said yes, Rikku." Yuna wrung her hands together at her cousin's stinging silence. She finally let herself look at the blonde. Concern, valid and elongated concern, etched itself into the green eyes of her cousin, and she thought of Tidus, who wouldn't look at her at all.

"But Yunie…" she bit her lip. "He's got a bad rep. All the girls steer clear of him and his weird smiles. You can just imagine creepy music playing behind him, warning—!"

"I already said yes, Rikku," came her exasperated reply. She was confused by and tired of people's seemingly irrational hate of him, though she, herself, admitted to her discomfort in Seymour's presence.

"Well, if you like him… at least he's good looking. And you know he's a talented art student? He came from the same school as Nooj and the others."

Yuna cocked her head to the side. "He was at school today?"

"Yeah—well, I only saw him in the morning. Why?"

Tidus was going crazy. Insane. He was going to go absolutely mad if something didn't happen soon. He was missing something very important. His whole body swelled with the need of connection. Of scent, of closeness, of breath, and there was something—some thirst that couldn't be slaked. He thought maybe he should call Yuna. He paced the room back and forth, wondering what he should do or who he could talk to. He yanked his cellphone out of his pocked and began to scroll through his contacts until he spotted a name.

_Dona._

Of course. He was sure he just missed her or something… her presence, or her lavender shampoo or…

"Hey, it's Ti," he said before he realized he had called. "Look… wanna come over? Haven't seen you in awhile."

Tidus did not react to her glee. He quickly snapped the phone shut after she'd agreed, and he sat on the couch, waiting for the doorbell to ring. Soon it did.

"Baby," he smirked as he opened the door and she stood there, dressed in scarcely anything. Expensive rags used to cover her chest and lower body.

"Baby _you_," Dona said, licking her upper lip as she walked in.

Tidus easily descended into habit at the sight of the provocative woman; his hands were in her dark hair, mouth on mouth, noses rubbing, breaths heating his body. But it was unpleasant for Tidus. Don'as hands were boldly in his hair, in his belt loops, yanking, stroking.

_Yuna wouldn't do this,_ he thought each passing moment, _Yuna would never do this. _ And the more he thought of her, the more painful the experience became.

"You have to leave," he said as soon as their lips parted.

"What?" she breathed, flustered, face burning from the intensity of the moment.

"You gotta go," he said softly, feeling sympathy for the bewildered woman who looked suddenly so insecure.

"Is this because of… Yuna?"

"GO!" Tidus yelled, gut wrenching at the name. "Please, I'll… see you tomorrow."

And she was gone. And Yuna was not there. Not in his arms, just in his mind, plaguing him with innocence and modesty and simple beauty… And he thought of it all being sucked away by a blue-haired man, and his pasty, smiling lips on Yuna's face and on her body…

**Review and tell me what **_**you**_** thought! I'd love to hear…**


	13. Body Heat

**Ahhhhh, goodness, youguys, I'm so, so, so, so, soooooooo sorry for the ridiculous update length. I'm really sorry. I always have a desire to update a chapter, but just going about it is so difficult now. I can't believe the amount of work I have to do around here. It's ridiculous! But I haven't given up on this story. And I plan to update much more regularly, even if it means neglecting my school work sometimes. :P Also, youguys, your reviews have been the sweetest things! They really do sustain me when I'm struggling and grappling with this story (it can be really dumb and frustrating sometimes!). But I hope that you continue to stay with me and really enjoy this chapter. I'll post as soon as I can, I'll try to be quick even when I'm swamped. Youguys really deserve it. :)**

**Also, I think I'm going to try to revise some previous chapters. Because they're just so no0bish. I've already revamped the first a little bit. Just in terms of language. Sorry again. And I love you all. Honestly. Thanks so much. Please enjoy!**

_Chapter Thirteen: __**Body Heat**_

Tidus's stomach tightened. Then the rest of his body felt as if it was tightening: the skin over his knuckles as his nails bit his palm; his teeth as he grinned at Dona, explaining soundlessly that yesterday was just a bad day. That he just had to _let off some steam._ He didn't pay attention to her response. Whether she was passive or indignant, he was unaware.

He slung his toned arm around her possessively and tried to prepare himself for what was coming down the hall. Tidus had sat awake in the blunt of the night, simulating scenarios in his head, curling and uncurling his body under the covers, imagining _him_ and Yuna together.

Now that he saw them striding casually down the hallway, he remembered the curling and uncurling, and felt his stomach lurch. He stiffly pretended to be loose and relaxed, walking past the miles and miles of blue lockers. Seymour's long fingers were laced between Yuna's, guiding her through the halls. The two weren't speaking, but as ever, the man's thin lips were pulled into a smile, filled with the pride of having such a trophy at his side.

The blonde, with an effort, lifted his feet and slid into a lazy, cocky gait, nearing the two. He laughed at something Dona said, expelling the last bite of air he'd been holding inside of his ribs. After trekking through miles of blue, he was there, right in front of them, within such a distance that he could snatch the brunette away from the vine-like clutch of that man.

Seymour met Tidus's eyes and smirked, and Tidus, with an effort, grinned back nonchalantly. As he passed, he caught Yuna's eye. She smiled brightly at him and opened her mouth to speak. He looked away, stared down the floor sliding beneath his feet, and remembered to breathe as the lockers became liquid around him.

* * *

Yuna had been a little taken aback by the exchange between Tidus and herself. She was relieved to see him. The atmosphere surrounding Seymour and herself had tasted of a stale, one-sided discomfort. But Tidus hadn't even bothered to address her. On top of that, when he and Dona had neared, Seymour's icy hand had gripped hers tightly, only lax long after the two had passed.

But what perturbed her most… was his arm around her. The silky, sumptuous woman that was a cheater. The dark, glistening woman who had threatened Yuna in the bathroom. The woman whose big, onyx eyes oozed with distaste when those same dark eyes met Yuna's. Yuna easily realized she was jealous. _But,_ she convinced herself, _not romantically._ She was mostly confused at Tidus's motives.

She waited anxiously for Tidus in her first period class, tucking hair behind her ear, smoothing her yellow shirt, rubbing her chilly arms. She hoped he would stumble into class clumsily and blurt out some plausible-enough explanation. She longed to see his face, read his expression, really _look_ at him. She would give anything. She wrung her hands together, craned her neck, hoping each student that filed in was him.

Right before the bell rang, Dona strode in, followed by the blonde. Her heart leapt, but sunk immediately as he walked past her and sat with Dona. Then, her head got heavy. She blinked slowly, at the teacher's words, suddenly too weary to listen to Auron's words about the social studies project. She only realized her brittle surroundings after Auron snapped, "Get to work!"

Then. Then, Tidus sauntered over and plopped into the seat in front of her. She did not greet him. She didn't meet his crystal blue eyes like Besaidan water lapping the shore. She felt dirty in her own skin. Manipulated. Worthless. Her head swam, filled with images of his lips melting together with pink, glossed lips… as in the past… right in front of her own eyes…

"Yuna," Tidus said distantly, "We better work if this project is due tomorrow."

Her name on his tongue. Bitterly: other things on his tongue.

Taking a shuddering breath, she turned from the gorgeous boy in front of her and reached into her booksack. She yanked out a blue textbook. Tears pooled inside her eyelids, but she took a deep breath and they receded.

"We're going to have to do this quickly because it's due tomorrow… and we haven't really done anything yet." Yuna handed him the textbook. She avoided his eyes. He gingerly placed the book on the pale wood of the desk. But he didn't say anything, and the silence was upsetting her. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and scolded herself for it, for being so upset when it was inevitable this whole time.

"Do we even have a topic?" he sighed from across the desk. She knew he was reclining without looking up at him. She didn't respond. Fire seemed to bubble up from her stomach and lodge itself in her chest. She was so _upset._ She slid the book towards herself and opened it. She could hardly recall the project… she rifled through the pages fluidly, attempting to seem cool and nonchalant. But the words on the page were simply marks and curves, and lips. And this color, of the sea… it was like his eyes. And the sun hitting this woman's earring… it was like his hair.

"Are you mad at me or something?" he said. Coldly.

"Hm," she said, turning a page. "Should I be?"

"I never know when I'm doing something wrong. And yet I always manage to be doing something wrong," he muttered.

Yuna shifted uneasily as the fire in her chest morphed uncomfortably into a stone, stuck under her ribcage, right on top of her lungs. "When have I ever gotten mad at you, Tidus?" she said quietly. She flipped another page. _He must know that I'm not reading this._

Tidus plopped his head on top of his crossed forearms. Yuna caught sight of his eyes and became flustered. She brought the book into her stomach and lowered her gaze. "You used to get mad when girls would be all over me in middle school," he said. "Remember?"

Yuna flushed and thumbed a lock of hair behind her ear. She could see him tilting his head. He was trying to make eye contact. She desperately wanted to. Being upset with him, this not only gorgeous man, but friend since before she could even remember…

"Remember?" he prodded flatly.

"I was just concerned, I wasn't—I wasn't _angry—_"

"You were just _upset,_" Tidus said, interrupting, "_Upset_ was the word you used. There was no reason to be concerned then. And there isn't now."

She couldn't say anything to him. Especially because he was right, which was even more frustrating. There was anger and disappointment and sadness as tangible as liquid inside of her, but she could not portray any of it. She could not get any of them out into words, and she wanted to bubble over and cry. But instead she flipped the page.

Yuna heard the quiet half-breath that meant he was about to speak, so she quickly said, "So. Do you have any ideas for this project? I don't know how we're going to finish on time at this rate."

He extended his hand out towards her. "Can I see the book?"

Yuna reluctantly closed it and handed it to him, realizing she was going to have to distract herself some other way. She turned to look at some other students, pretending to be focused and interested in them. In truth, she could not even distinguish anyone who she was looking at directly, because she was focusing so intensely on Tidus in her peripherals. He was leafing through the book lazily, clearly not looking for a project topic.

"How about we do this?" he dropped the book in front of her. "Sin's attack on Kilika?"

Yuna appraised the indicated page, a little alarmed that he had found something. It actually struck her as a good idea. But she had such a burning desire to protest. To _argue_ with him about something—anything—to portray some of the heat that she was feeling inside all of the time that she was around him.

"It will be hard to find information," she said quietly.

"Aw, come on," he said, equally quiet, "We can do it."

Then. Then, she looked up at him, and she met his eyes. She got lost in them again. And everything inside of her melted, and she was tired. And she was broken. And she was tired of waiting. And she was broken from waiting. _For what?_

He seemed a little startled that she met his gaze. He ran his hands through his golden hair. "Sooo… do you think—I mean, do you think it's… like… a pretty good topic?"

"Tidus."

He paused. He combed through his hair with his fingers. "Yeah?"

"Why are you with Dona?" she asked quietly, almost silently. In the loudness of the classroom, silence seemed to press in on her from all directions. She couldn't force herself to push out small talk—it was impossible. Something inside of her… she needed to know.

He chuckled, startled at the question. "Why does it always go back to her? Can I ask you that Pretty Girl?" his tone was irritated, bordering on anger. She could see it in the way he was glaring at the grains on the desk. Sneering at the textbook. He would never do it to her directly, but it hurt the same. She knew she was the target.

Yuna reached out and grasped Tidus's hand. His hard expression faltered by her impulsive gesture. She ran her thumb over his knuckles. She felt his hand tense, but she knew his anger had dissipated. It was always soothing to him as a child… his mother used to run her thumbs over his knuckles like this.

"Please, I don't know why, but I need to know, Tidus." She caressed his knuckles absently. He looked stonily from her hands to her blue and green colored eyes. "You were right. I'm just upset. I'm so _upset_ and I don't know why…"

He tried to pull away from her. Instinctively she grasped his hand. She didn't want to let go of his rough, water-worn hands. His thick knuckles. She just wanted to touch him. To hold him. To hold his hands, just like this. Because… they were best friends, and…

"Sorry, I shouldn't have…" Yuna's thumb grazed his knuckles once more, and then she let go. "I'm a little confused I guess." She laughed lightly. "But I think this is a good topic."

"Now you're changing the subject again," Tidus said. His expression was blank, although it was notably less intense, and she felt herself relax a little.

"I didn't want to put you on the spot," she said.

"I want to answer the question."

"I want you to answer it, too."

Tidus stared at Yuna seriously. She shifted a little uncomfortably in the stifling atmosphere. He ran his fingers through his hair. Again. "Look, Yuna…" he breathed, mouth open like an exhalation, "I don't love her."

She stared at him. Softly, slowly, "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"I don't know…" he straightened, and looked pensively at the desk. He glanced back up at her. "Does it… you know? Make you feel better?"

There was a long silence. Or so it seemed to Yuna, who had to take all of the liquid heat inside of her and force it into words. She stared at him, mouth slightly open. Her cheek, she realized absently, was wet, as a single, salty drop slid off her jaw.

"Yes, it makes me feel better," she said so quietly that she was sure he wouldn't be able to hear her, "I don't know why. But it does."

* * *

Tidus had no idea what was going on. Inside, at least. What he was doing, what it amounted to. He did not care about Dona in the slightest, it was almost pitiful how guiltless he felt. Yuna's answer, what did it mean—that she felt better—knowing that Tidus didn't love Dona? She was inscrutable. She was inscrutable because _she_ herself had no idea what she was feeling.

These thoughts were the only thoughts that emerged in Tidus's head during second period. And third. He remembered that they'd casually decided to meet at Yuna's house after school to work on the dumb project about Kilika. He wasn't anxious about it. Or so he told himself… but he was certainly tense. About something.

Second period went by in a blur. He didn't even remember trudging upstairs to third period. And when he first realized he was in third period was when the bell blared and it was over. Lunch was next, luckily, and if there was anything that could snap him out of his daze it was food. Or blitzball. But food was really the only available option.

_I have never been this thoughtful in my life,_ Tidus thought. He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly and headed downstairs towards the cafeteria. When he got there it was packed. He groaned and headed over to the line. He appraised the people standing casusally in front of the kitchen. Wakka was luckily the second person in line.

"Hey, brudda," Tidus said, nudging Wakka in the stomach with his elbow.

"Not funny, Ti," said Wakka.

"Man, you and your brother. No sense of humor," Tidus shook his head while cutting slyly in front of Wakka.

The redhead didn't notice. His eyebrows were furrowed in concern. "Don't talk to me about Chappu," he said gruffly.

Tidus frowned. Was everybody having an off day today? "Why, what's up with you and Chappu?" Wakka just nudged his shoulder and Tidus realized that the line was moving up. He slinked up to the person ahead of him. The boy in front of him was tall and blonde. His hair was somewhat… spiky to the point of distraction. He was wearing a red t-shirt and incredibly baggy jeans.

"Yo," the boy greeted the lunch lady, "I'd like two orders of fries." The lunch lady offered him the paper, quadrangular bowls. "Thanks!" he spouted, and took the trays from the woman. Tidus narrowed his eyes in surprise.

_This dude has an eyepatch?_

"Dude, go," somebody behind Wakka complained. Tidus moved up behind the tall blonde, and said, "That sounded like a good order. I'll have the same." The lunch lady reluctantly handed him the trays.

Tidus waited for Wakka to order his food and scoop up some packaged condiments from the table outside of the kitchen. Wakka straightened and headed for their usual table. Tidus slid his tray down and snatched some condiments from Wakka's tray. When the stocky Besaidan didn't respond, Tidus knew something serious was on his mind.

"Dude, so what's up with Chappu?" Tidus asked, slicing the ketchup packet with his teeth.

"It's nothin', ya?" said Wakka.

"Why do you suck?" Tidus said, throwing some fries into his mouth. "Come on, dude. Seriously. You better hurry before the other guys get here and start badgering you about it."

"You're not helping, ya?" Wakka sighed and prodded his pizza with a fork. "Well, you know, Chappu…"

Tidus rolled his eyes impatiently. "Yeah, I know Chappu, Wakka. I saw him at _The High Beach_ yesterday, actually."

Wakka, again, didn't respond.

"Do I have to pry it out of you?" Tidus said exasperatedly.

"Chappu," Wakka said quickly, "He asked Lulu to go out with him."

_I wasn't expecting that._ The blonde chewed slowly and swallowed, narrowing his eyes at the man in front of him. Normally he would've attempted to add some levity to the conversation by flailing around, or talking about Chappu's negative aspects in a humorous light. But Tidus was feeling particularly sympathetic. Yuna. With a stupid, ugly, dumb, stupid, dumb, dumb other man. It was familiar. And he remembered his situation. Gloom sat solemnly in his grimace.

"That sucks, dude," Tidus said lamely.

"What should I do?" Wakka dropped his head into his hands and rubbed his eyes with his palms. "I don't want to hurt my brudda, ya? But Lu… she's important to me. And I can't just hand her over like that, ya? What would… what would _you_ do, Ti?"

Tidus laughed. He laughed so hard that he choked on a fry and his laugh turned into a hack. Tears streamed out of his eyes as he recovered. "Wakka," he said breathlessly, "I am the _wrong _person to ask about that."

"Why? Brudda, you are _really_ good with girls, don't even try to lie."

"I'm not," Tidus said with a shrug, "I'm not, I just… can't ever get the girl I actually want, you know?"

Wakka rolled his eyes. "Are we talking about Yuna here?"

"What? No, dude, not even—"

"You are such a bad liar, ya?"

"Wha—Listen," Tidus hastily changed the subject while stuffing ketchup laden fries into his mouth. "What did Lulu even _say?_ Did she tell him yes?"

Wakka shrugged, somewhat sulky now that the conversation had returned to its original subject. "Lu didn't actually say yes, ya?" he shrugged again and ruffled his hair with his massive hand. "She was just like, 'let me think about it.'"

The blonde threw a fry in the air and attempted to catch it in his mouth. It landed limply back in the bowl. "Dude, then why are you whining? Now's the time to act. Show off your charm, man." _At least the girl you like didn't say yes to some other dude._

"I don't know, Ti…"

"Look," said Tidus impatiently, "Do it, or regret it when she goes out with Chappu. You asked me what I would do. That's what I would do."

Wakka murmured something in his deep, heavily accented voice, but Tidus didn't catch it. He was distracted by the guy he'd been waiting behind in the lunch line a few minutes prior. He had a cocky strut like he believed he was every woman's secret fantasy. His arrogance was kind of amusing. _I wonder if he plays blitz, _Tidus thought absently. The tall guy strutted over to a table where a bunch of people were standing with trays.

_Oh, there's Rikku,_ Tidus noted, appraising the bouncy Al Bhed with considerable amusement. She was indicating that the eye-patched guy should sit next to her. The tall guy laughed and slung his arm around some brunette chick—

_Yuna._ Tidus dropped his fries. _That guy has his arm around Yuna._ A strange hot squirming started in Tidus's lower belly. He gaped at them. Suddenly, the tall, blonde man swirled Yuna around and—

"He just kissed her, ya?" Wakka said flatly from across the table. "Bold move."

* * *

She was so surprised she could hardly move. At first, she thought it was Tidus. He'd been on her mind (when wasn't he?), and her body flushed immediately as he slung his arm around Yuna's shoulders. When she tilted her head upwards to get a better look at the man, she was swirled around, and suddenly there were lips meshing with hers. Warm, soft lips pressing against her own. The dissipating smell of french fries on his breath. Her body froze and melted at the same time, and she couldn't think of doing anything except stand there and let his lips linger. When he finally pulled away, he gave her another quick peck on the lips before breaking out into a huge grin.

"Yo," he said, cocky, "The name's Gippal."

**Ahhh! So there you have it! A little shorter than I typically write them, but I thought it was a good stopping point. Please review and tell me what _you_ thought, since that's what matters. Thankies!**

**Miko**


	14. Cherry Head

**Youguys are amazing, I love you, I love you, I love you! Please enjoy! Please do.**

_Chapter Fourteen:_ **Cherry Head**

At first, he wasn't angry. He was just disappointed. Something heavy tugged at his chest, like little iron weights had settled in his lungs. He was vaguely aware of Wakka watching him, brown eyes hard and expectant. Just watching. Because this just sitting, this not violently reacting, this not protecting his territory—it was new to him, too. Tidus rested his left ankle on his right knee, right leg bouncing anxiously, left upright-ankle tapping the table's underside like it was pecking it. Just pecking.

"Brudda," said Wakka hesitantly.

"What?" Tidus snapped with a mouthful of potato mush. Ketchup-less and stale.

"I—what were you saying about Chappu?" the Besaidian breathed, plucking up a few of Tidus's french fries and dropping them into his maw. Tidus smacked his hand playfully, thinking _sage move, Wakka_. He was grateful that his best friend hadn't coaxed him into acting. Nudging him, whispering about "the new guy" and his boldness and his eye patch and allure. Because Tidus was still unsure how to act. He stuffed fistfuls of fries into his mouth as his ankle pecked the table, and that was about all he was capable of doing.

Wakka said slowly, "Lulu hasn't said yes yet…"

"That's right," Tidus added helpfully, head jerking in affirmation. "That's exactly right."

"So I can't just snap up on my brudda's territory, Ti," said Wakka, submitting easily to defeat, stuffing his big, orange head into his huge palms. His palms massaged his closed eyes.

"Well, yeah, that's exactly right," said Tidus. "Or would be, if she was his girlfriend. But she declined. Who knows, she may have had someone… _fatter_ in mind."

"Ti!"

"Well get your hands out of my tray!"

Wakka snorted. But Tidus knew the big guy was just trying to distract him from the soft girl sitting across the cafeteria, next to the guy who was clearly flirting with her, gently knocking his shoulders against hers, telling some really funny joke, she was laughing, the whole table was laughing…

"Fatty," Tidus warned when Wakka's fingers snaked into his paper tray again.

"That's not nice, ya?" Wakka shot a cautious glance at Lulu, who was politely engaging the spiky-haired guy in conversation. Maybe he was worried that the eye-patched guy was gonna swoop in on Lulu's black lips. Then Wakka would really flip his lid. Already, he had no grasp on the situation at hand. "So, if I'm gonna make a move—I—how? I ask her out, ya?"

"I guess," said Tidus lamely. "How else are you planning on professing your love to her? On a cute little Hallmark card that you stuff with her wedding present? 'I always loved you, ya? Ya, you're a real hot babe, ya? Treat my brudda right by treating his brudda right…'"

"You're the dumbest guy on da face of earth," Wakka grimaced. "I would never do that to Chappu."

"All this talk of weddings is making me wanna puke." Tidus stabbed his paper tray with little empty ketchup packets. He lined the perimeter with ketchup packets, leg bouncing, head heavy and empty with jealousy. "Wanna blitz?"

"You got it, Ti." Wakka was unsatisfied with Tidus's lack of advice and lack of pretension, but he couldn't deny Blitzball. Tidus knew it would clear something up inside of them. Like blowing his nose really hard. _Ultimately solves nothing_, he thought cynically, _but really effective in relieving some pressure._

It did relieve some pressure. Tidus pounded the blitzball with the side of his fists, knuckled it, kneed it, kicked it, headed it. He even hit the blitzball with his elbow, as if with every blow he was bruising a part of himself that was hungry and unsatisfied.

Wakka took all the merciless hits. Tidus watched them rebound off his large, tanned chest. Sting his forearms. Abuse his wrists. One ball Wakka even blocked with his Jaw, swimming madly to block the shot. He welcomed the abuse. He was accepting the guilt that people welcome when they are not truly at fault.

Tidus was hardening himself. Exorcising guilt. Like people do when everything is their fault.

And Blitzball worked for both of them. They played continuously, through lunch. Then they played through the first fifteen minutes of fourth period before Wakka insisted that they should really get to class. Tidus concurred, but only because he could tell his friend had been getting increasingly anxious, slow in the clear water, missing shots. Tidus would've easily ditched.

"Coach has a gym class fifth period anyway," said Wakka hurriedly, feeling like a cop out, as they exited the dome dripping and cold. Water dangled from his long, brown eyelashes and fell onto his cheek.

_Coach wouldn't have taken his students blitzing today,_ Tidus thought as he slapped away some water tickling the back of his neck. The two walked solemnly to the locker room, pulling off wet shirts, toweling hair, patting armpits dry. Their process was delicate, methodical. And when the two of them had donned their dry outfits again, they looked at each other a little awkwardly.

"Sorry about you being late," said Tidus, grinning sheepishly.

"Nah, brudda, no big deal." He clapped the smaller guy on the back. They exchanged another awkward glance. "All this 'bouta girl," he said. "All this." And then he sauntered off to class.

"That's exactly right," Tidus said to himself, eyeing the flat, beige floor. It was shiny with smears and puddles of water. "All this about a girl."

* * *

She was just lucky that Gippal wasn't in her fourth period. All of lunch she'd had to figure out ways of dealing with Gippal in ways that wouldn't be interpreted as _mutual._ He was a nice guy, she justified stumblingly to herself, but he had already crossed her boundaries once. She kept remembering the feel of his lips on hers, blushing hotly. _And everybody saw it!_ It wasn't a bad feeling. But the sensation was too foreign and too shocking to be categorized as anything other than a violation.

Yuna suddenly thought of Seymour. _Did I just cheat on him?_ She wondered anxiously. But she stuffed it away in her memory, burying it like a bad report card in her underwear drawer. At the thought of Seymour, she grew inexplicably weary. Her… _boyfriend—_ she hesitated to give him that title—was tiring. He was still a child in many ways. She imagined him as a cat, skinny and sinister, rubbing his arched back against her calves.

She tried to focus her brittle attention on Issaru's lecture on future-tense conjugation of the verb _devorar._ But the more she tried not to think about the kiss, the more she thought about it. The shape of his lips, the malleability, the warmth and yet the chill of it. The lack of passion. What was so good about kissing that everybody seemed to like doing it so much. She had been robbed of something secret and vulnerable; a flower, stiff and cracked with the sudden frost. Its time had come and gone.

"Yuna?" came a voice. Fingertips tapped her desk. She looked up.

"Yes, um—sir?" she looked up at Issaru, pale-faced and young, an unimpressed smile playing on his lips.

"Bit distracted?" he asked placidly. "Am I boring you?"

"Haha, no," Yuna blushed and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear.

"_Muy distractivo_," someone piped in obnoxiously, signaling a chorus of chuckles. Issaru handed her a worksheet with a look, and continued down the aisle. She looked at the paper, but it was all abstract. Nonsense words. A nonsense assignment.

"Having some trouble." A flat voice intoned from behind her. She hesitated, but then turned around out of courtesy. She shook her head slightly, smiling at him. She'd never seen him before. He had a long whip of hair down the right side of his narrow, angular face. The rest of his hair was pulled into a ponytail. Three neat rows of braided loops fell to his shoulders. He was wearing a white turtle-neck.

"Are you sure. You seemed a little flustered." He looked at her over his rectangular-framed glasses.

"Yes, I'm sure," she said lightly. "But thank you." She turned around in her seat. After a minute, she turned back around to face him. "But… what does _devorar_ mean?"

His lips twisted into a frown. "To devour, of course." The frown was neutral, like a frown was the only thing his lips could do.

"Thank you," she laughed, and pulled some more hair behind her ear. "And… what's your name?"

"Nooj," he said simply.

"Nooj," she repeated, nodding. "I might've heard of you…" she thought of Rikku, explaining about an old school that was officially shut down.

"And yours?" he asked brusquely, sparing her a glance as he looked up from his worksheet.

"Oh—Yuna. I'm Yuna."

"I've not heard of you."

Yuna smiled. "That's the way it usually is. I'm pretty anonymous."

"I see," was all that he said. Yuna liked him. He lacked some charisma… but she trusted him because of this. But, she was too intimidated to work with him consistently. Cordiality would come. He'd offered to help, after all. But, for now, she figured she would just consult the thin pages of her yellow Spanish dictionary. It took her mind off other things.

* * *

After school, it was like he was waiting for him. Tidus left math tense, a wound-up spring. He crashed down the stairs to the first floor to get his history book from his locker, and slung his book bag over his shoulder and headed to the parking lot before other students had even started spinning their combination locks.

The guy with the eye-patch was leaning against a car that was presumably his: an electric blue Ford Mustang. Tidus hated him even more because he loved his car so. Much. The eye-patched guy was hitting a green pack of cigarettes against his palm, slowly scanning the lot like an animal. When he saw Tidus walking towards him, he loosed a small smirk. He opened his pack of cigarettes, and looked inside for a good thirty seconds before delicately extracting one.

When Tidus reached him, he dropped his booksack. The man didn't look at Tidus. He pulled a black lighter out of his pocket, and cupped his hand around the cigarette, lighting it. The Mustang looked regal with the flames dancing on it.

"You don't have to do that," said Tidus, annoyed at the man for not looking at him.

"Do what?" he said, taking a big inhale of the scented smoke.

"Cup your hand around the cigarette. There's no wind out here," Tidus responded, but faltered at the end, realizing how dumb he must sound for pointing out something so trivial. He stuffed his hands in his jean pockets.

The man closed his eyes and let out a sensuous exhale of smoke. Tidus flared up with jealousy, tugging subconsciously at his hair. Normally he wouldn't care how alluring another guy was—but he had a girl to worry about. All this about a girl. He wouldn't let her be lured into a snake pit.

"The name's Gippal," said the eye-patch guy, eyes finally rolling over Tidus, sizing him up. He smiled. A mouthful of bright, straight teeth, uncolored by smoke.

"I don't care," said Tidus. "Look—"

"I must _say,_ I was expecting someone—I dunno—more in Yuna's league to come out here and greet me." Inhale. "Ya know, I wasn't expecting someone so small and anxious. Maybe someone big and quiet and collected. Big brother type. In a good way." He eyed Tidus again.

"You just leave her _alone,_" Tidus snarled, finger jabbing Gippal in the chest.

Gippal rubbed his chest in a circular motion. "Strong little poke ya got there, shorty."

"If I _ever_ see you—"

"See me what?" he laughed and smoke poured out of his mouth, "See me romancing your girl?" A pause. "Is she even your girl?"

Tidus faltered again.

"Oh no," Gippal laughed so loudly that several kids in the parking lot turned around to see what was so funny. "She's not even your girl. If you _ever_ see me—ha_haa_, he said if I _ever_ see you…"

Tidus slapped the cigarette out of Gippal's hand and Gippal stopped laughing. "Yuna is not some toy, not some player in a game to be manipulated for kicks," he hissed.

"It was just a kiss," Gippal smirked, but his eyes were serious. "Just a peck. I didn't grope her, okay? I'm sure she didn't mind it."

"_I _minded it."

"You, who are not her boyfriend." Gippal twisted his toe over the cherry head of the cigarette, and then tapped his shoe on the blacktop, tapping off ashes. "She's fair game. She's kinda sexy, ya know?" Gippal winked at Tidus with his good eye. Tidus imagined himself plucking out the other eye and smooshing it on the ground like Gippal had twisted out the cigarette.

"Gippal, Yuna isn't used to this type of game," Tidus said slowly, controlling his anger.

Gippal opened the shiny blue door and ducked into the car. "Good thing there's someone like me to teach her, ain't that right?" He closed the door, and turned the key in the ignition. The engine roared to life, and rap music began blaring through the parking lot. Gippal waved at Tidus, and backed out of the yellow-lined space. He drove off in the most infuriatingly beautiful car Tidus had ever seen.

* * *

Yuna rode the bus home. It was crowded and loud, and it smelled heavily of musty teenagers. It was the perfect environment for just blending in, becoming completely invisible and undisturbed.

But the huge, muscle-bound Besaidian plopped right next to Yuna, sighing. He smelled like chlorine. He must've been blitzing that day. He threw her a big, lazy grin.

"Don't have practice today?" Yuna smiled at him. He was good-natured and happy, she felt bad ignoring him for the sake of a few minutes worth of quiet solitude.

"Nope," he said, "Not today. Got a big game tomorrow, restin' up. Coach's orders, ya?"

"Good idea," she said affirmatively.

"So," Wakka said, eyes lighting up with excitement. He stuck his head in her face. "I saw Miss Yuna get smooched today!"

Yuna's face blazed with mortification. She stuffed her face into her arms and moaned. "Wakkkaaaa..."

"What? You gotta problem with being kissed?" he belted out a laugh.

"Yes…!" Yuna breathed, "In that way! Yes, I do!" she looked at him desperately. "I don't even _know_ him."

"Well, yeah," Wakka shrugged. "I guess that was the catch. I mean, _I _even wanna kiss you now, ya?"

The brunette's shock preceded the reddening of her cheeks. "You what?"

"It's not like I _like like_ you, I don't at all," Wakka said casually, gesturing animatedly in his explanation. "It's just that, now that Gip's kissed you, everybody wants to. Just to see what it's like."

Yuna turned to look out the window. They stopped next to a small pizza place. A bored teenager held up a sign advertising a free two-liter coke with the purchase of a large pizza. "That doesn't make any sense," Yuna huffed. "Why would they?"

"I don't know _why_," Wakka said, as if it had not occurred to him to ask such a question. "But anyways, I got news for you."

She didn't look at him for a few minutes, half-stuck in her anxieties about what had transpired, and how people would look at her tomorrow, and when the illusion of her allure would dissipate into normalcy. But she shot him a sympathetic look when he told her that Chappu had asked Lulu out.

"Sooo, I don't know what to do, ya?" Wakka said, scratching the back of his head. "I want to snap her up—but not offend my brother."

Yuna giggled. "Snap her up? Wakka, what you don't seem to be taking into account is Lulu's feelings. It's not who gets to the fish first." She played with the hem of her light blue cotton shirt, fingering the stitch. "Let Lulu's choice be the end of it. But in order for that to work, you have to tell her how you feel. Or _that_ won't be the choice she makes."

Wakka lowered his eyes, nodding slowly. "So I should tell her."

Someone had scribbled on the seat in front of her: _AURON SUX._ And also, _F.E.B & B.M.P 4 ever!_ She tilted her head towards Wakka, who was gnawing his lower lip, allowing himself to be vulnerable in front of her. She reached into his lap and patted his muscled hand, worn.

"Just do it," she said, "Put an end to your misery."

"Yeah," he gave her hand a friendly squeeze.

When Yuna got off the bus, she was surprised to see that Rikku hadn't been on it. She had to fish in her backpack for a key, because Rikku was always first to the door, first to key the lock and step over the threshold.

She saw Cid's compact and pristine white car sitting in the driveway. When she walked in the door, he shouted his greetings from the downstairs office. She dropped her bag by the door, and walked slumped and tired to the office.

"Hey," she told his back.

"Hey," he said, not looking at her. Punching the keyboard with his two forefingers, reading glasses sliding down his nose. He looked up at her after he finished his sentence.

"How was school, sweetheart?" he whirled around in his chair. "You look beat."

She crossed her arms. "Probably just a little sleepy. I might go nap." She thought of telling Cid that Tidus was coming by around dinner time to work on the history project, but decided against it. Cid would read too much into it. She would just pretend that she forgot to mention him when he showed up at the door goofy and smiling as always.

With a few last words, she turned and headed up the carpeted stairs to her room. When she opened the door, she saw Rikku, sitting on the floor by Yuna's bed, long legs stretched in front of her.

"Oh—" Yuna started. "Rikku. I wondered where you were."

"Cid picked me up," she said, and leaned her head against the small, single bed. "Come sit."

Yuna pulled off her tennis shoes and plopped down on her bed. She laid down, curled on her side, looking at Rikku. She could tell from the moment she'd opened the door that something was wrong. Rikku was quiet. Her bright green eyes were foggy with sadness. A rare weariness she'd seen in her cousin's eyes only a few times.

"What's up?" said Yuna, pulling a blonde braid close to her. She ran her fingers along it, before she let it drop softly at Rikku's cheek. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm—yeah," Rikku smiled. "There's just a little something."

Yuna's eyebrows furrowed. "Tell me."

The blonde girl eyed her boots intensely. She clacked them together. The boots butted heads. The brown arches looked like ancient turtle shells. "Why… did you kiss Gippal, Yunie?"

She was incredulous. She lifted her head off the pillow. "Why?" she fumbled for an explanation that seemed obvious.

"I mean, I know that you like him. Everyone does. But…"

"No, no," Yuna felt a flicker of irritation flutter up her throat. "Just because everyone else does doesn't mean _I _do. And _I _didn't kiss him. _He_ kissed me!" She slapped the pillow in frustration, sick of her problems dogging her all the way home.

At Rikku's silence, she calmed. Her cousin hadn't meant to accuse her. "Rikku, I didn't, I swear. It was so—unexpected. I didn't want to—" she was at a loss for words. Trying to portray her innocence, she stroked Rikku's hair again. Rikku didn't move.

"I just—every guy likes you. There's one guy that I like, too, and—he kisses you when he first sees you! Yunie, what about me is it? _Why_ doesn't he like me? Why—" she stopped short. "No, it's… it's nothing."

"Stop it," Yuna reprimanded. "Finish what you were saying. Get it out." She imagined a bubble of Rikku's repressed feelings, growing abominably large and popping, anger pouring out of every orifice. Anger out of her nostrils, anger out of her ears…

Rikku pulled away from Yuna's fingers and stood up. "Am I not good enough? Am I not pretty enough? Am I not smart enough? Am I not sweet enough? Am I not popular enough? Am I too well-known? Am I a ditz? Am I manly?" She threw her hands up in the air. Yuna could hear her voice peaking with frustration. "Am I just a toy—to play with? That doesn't have any feelings? I have feelings, Yunie! I have _feelings!_"

"I know," said Yuna, startled.

"It's not you, it's me!" Rikku shouted dramatically, hot tears massing at the corners of her eyes. "I—I look up to you, you know? And now _this_?"

_It's just that, now that Gip's kissed you, everybody wants to. To see what it's like._ Yuna swallowed the urge to shout in frustration. This whole ordeal had been plain unlucky for her, and she got the sense, masterfully well-played on Gippal's part. She stood up, socked feet hitting the cold floor.

"Listen to me, Rik," Yuna grasped her shoulders, "Right now, if people like me—it's _just_ because they're surprised by what Gippal did. I'm not prettier or better or anything like that, okay? It's just a mild case of mob mentality." She chuckled lightly. "It's really silly. It'll be passed in like three days. Teenagers are really fickle. They're like yo-yos. They just want something to shoot for, you know—and I just seem like easy prey."

Rikku didn't seem totally convinced, but Yuna could tell that her self-deprecation was lightening her cousin's mood.

"Do they like easy prey?" Rikku asked, small.

"Don't be easy prey," Yuna sighed. "You don't want a guy that's kissing on other girls anyway."

She looked up at Yuna, eyes big and wet. "I want Gippal," was all that she said. And Yuna knew what that was like, to want to redeem, to want to forgive, to want to believe in, to want to love someone that hasn't shown any inclination to love you back.

**My goodness, I'm sooooo sorry for the late update. I'm soooo sorry. I love youguys for sticking with me. I'm not just saying this, youguys are the sweetest and most supportive people ever. Please forgive me for how late this is. My teacher's going to kill me for not writing my essays, but I had to sacrifice some time to churn this baby out! Please enjoy!**

**And please review and tell me what **_**you**_** lovely people think!**

**Miko**


	15. Hot and Spicy Curry

**Please enjoy this chapter! It has been very difficult for me to write. But I know it needed to be written.**_  
_

_Chapter Fifteen: __**Hot and Spicy Curry**_

The kitchen was long and narrow. A thin window was perched on the wall perpendicular to the silver, modern refrigerator. She worked at the marble counter top. She dipped one tea bag into a beige coffee mug. The mug's rim lipped outward, like water caught mid-splash. Two dunks. She set it in the microwave, pressing the flattened buttons with her pale forefinger. Two minutes.

She grabbed a glass from the cabinet above her stove and filled it with some ice. She pulled an orange soda out of the fridge. She considered opening it. She ran her purple fingernail under the tab. But she thought better of it. He liked it fresh. Cold. Burning. She brought the cup and the can to the dense mahogany table, and sat.

Lulu was intuitive. It was a bonus subcategory of her maternal instinct. There was just something wrong. Something tense. Everything was going wrong today. _Wrong?_ she thought, wondering if that was correct. _Have things been going wrong?_ She thought of Yuna, as tense and as stiff as a frightened bird. So light and nervous. And Gippal, swooping in on her. _We could all sense it,_ she thought, _We all knew that he had stolen something from her and put it in his pocket._ Yuna didn't know how to react after that. The whole lunch period was awkward. Lulu felt guilty for being unable to foresee it, guilty for continuing with the meal as if nothing had happened. Honestly, it was more in his character to harass Rikku. Or someone else who seemed to attract that sort of rogue attention.

"Things are going to be different from now on, aren't they?" she said. She pressed her palm gingerly against her forehead. _Poor Yuna. _The air was cold in the house. The thermostat stayed on sixty-five degrees, even in the fall. She stared at the black bookshelf across from the dining table. She glanced at the clock above it: a slow 3:42 in the afternoon. Lulu eyed the orange soda reluctantly. She went to the bookshelf, and slid the dictionary out with her middle finger.

**rogue ** [rohg] (noun, verb, rogued, ro·guing, adjective)

_noun_:

1. a dishonest, knavish person; scoundrel.

2. a playfully mischievous person; scamp.

3. a tramp or vagabond.

A knock at the door. Two knocks. She slid the dictionary back on the shelf and smoothed her black dress. The microwave beeped. She pulled open the door.

"Lu'," Wakka said, grinning boyishly. He rubbed his hands together in the chilly outside. "Can I come in?"

"Late as always," Lulu said brusquely, striding from the door. She left it ajar, and Wakka walked in. He pulled his letterman jacket tighter around him. It was colder inside than it was outside! He half hoped that every time he walked into Lulu's apartment, it would be toasty and warm and inviting. Nope.

Lulu tapped the kitchen table, and Wakka sat down in front of his soda. He pulled it open and took a long swig of the sweet, acidic drink. He shook his head as the cold ripped down his throat. Then he poured some over his ice. Lulu attended to her black tea, stirring sugar and honey. She was slow and precise. Even more so because it was today. Wakka bit a piece of ice in two.

"You saw what happened today, didn't you?" Lulu asked, sighing hard, "With Yuna, I mean. Tidus looked like he was going to stuff his whole fist down his throat."

Wakka was used to her straightforward nature. "Yeah, Ti' was trippin' out, Lu'." He shook his head again. "I mean, I don't know what I would've done either, ya?"

"I didn't know what to do," Lulu said. "Is it that big of a deal?"

Wakka cocked his head to the side, pensive. He thought of her on the bus, shriveled. Shrinking into herself in embarrassment. He laughed despite himself. "I'm sure she's fine. She just seemed a little pink, ya?"

Lulu grimaced as Wakka continued to chuckle at the recent memory. "You aren't the comforting type, Wakka. You probably made it worse." She crossed her legs under the table and crossed her arms. But, she was glad that he had at least _tried._ In her place. He had brotherly intentions.

"I told her I wanted to kiss her, _too_!" Wakka laughed loudly into his fist. His eyes were squeezed narrow, glittering. "I mean—I told her _everyone_ wanted to—I think," he hid his face as he caught his breath back, "I think I only embarrassed her more, ya? But—ahhh…" he shook his head, "It was too good an opportunity to pass up, ya? I only wish Ti' were there… in fact, remind me to tell him…" he pulled his letterman jacket tighter around him. His bulky hand fussed with the buttons that looked so tiny under his fingers. He popped his collar up.

Lulu appraised him. She took a sip of her tea. She set it down gently. "Do you?" she said.

"Do I what?" he said, eyes still glazed with the funny recollection.

Lulu took another sip of her tea. She wiped away the purple lipstick on the rim. "I mean," she said coolly, "Do you want to kiss her?"

* * *

_Hard ass._ That was all he could think. _Hard ass. Such a hard ass. A hard. Ass. _Every little thing annoyed him about his father. The way he watched blitz games shirtless in the living room, arm thrown over back of the sofa, black pit-hair bushing out, body muscled and sweaty, sweat reeking like liquor, chin tucked into his chest, eyes narrowed in beady contempt, hair smelling like shampoo that wasn't his, black hair sticking out in tufts around his neck, grizzly beard that identified him as the drunkard he was, tattooed chest he wanted to scribble out with sharpie, dumb head-scarves, especially the red one that always drooped over his eye because he thought it was still a cool look, his smile, even though it was rare, he hated it, the way he slung slurred curses at the blitz sphere even at his home team, even when they were winning, even in his sleep, the way he still called him _boy,_ as though he had forgotten the name, forgotten he chose the name, the way he lived in the past and the future disintegrated, not just his own future, but everyone's.

Tidus took all of Jecht's crap with a bad taste in his mouth. He kept telling himself that he would only have to stick it out for a couple of hours. Three hours. Two-and-a-half hours. Two hours and fifteen minutes before going to Yuna's to work on a project. He'd take any project over this. Being in the same house as his old man.

That sofa was going to have a permanent imprint of Jecht's body. All he did was sit there and drink. He said he had a job, but every time Tidus walked in, he was at home doing the same old crap. He didn't need a job, techincally; he could live off his blitz fortune. The only money he expended was on booze. But he said he had a job. Was home whining after a hard day of work. _Yeah, right,_ Tidus thought. _I can't imagine this hard ass being productive._ Jecht probably didn't want anybody getting his grill about his coping mechanisms. _You don't have to worry about that. Nobody wants to get within a mile of your funk._

Tidus didn't know how his Dad had even managed to keep up his great shape. He didn't blitz anymore. Hadn't in five years. Hadn't gone to a live blitz game in years. As far as Tidus knew. He didn't work out. Couldn't. Why would he? What did he have to look good for? In fact, what did he have to live for? It's not like he was supporting a son. It's not like he was raising a son. It's not like he was father to a son. It's not like he named a son, or even said the name of that son.

Tidus sunk into the chair perpendicular to his father's sofa. He eyed the blitz sphere blankly. The Ronsos were pulling a great game. It was tough. Their goalie wasn't so good. They had to compensate. The leather stuck to his neck. His leg dangled over the arm of the chair and kicked every now and then. When the Ronsos made a good play against the Goers. His eyes unfocused until the sphere was just a blue ball, emanating a slight glow, a slight, orbital fuzz. It made the gray-green wallpaper look funny. Like mashed peas and mashed potatoes.

"I'm heading to Yuna's in a bit," Tidus said. Out of nowhere. He wasn't even thinking about it. His booted foot kicked at the air.

A guttural grunt. "The hell you doin'! _Damn!_"

Tidus craned his neck to look around at his father, who was gesticulating wildly at the game. Tidus tugged at his hair and returned to the wallpaper. He hadn't expected him to react. Not really. To interact. It was too much effort to get his attention. And anyway, saying anything in the first place was unintentional. He was just impatient to get away.

He stood up from the chair. He grabbed his father's empty beer cans. They were all dented in the middle. Jecht did this habitually when he finished a beer. He squeezed it until it halved on itself. Then he slammed it on the glass coffee table and opened another.

"Get me another, will ya?" Jecht said, distracted. He eyed the game intensely.

_The hell I will._ Tidus pitched the beer cans into the kitchen garbage, stationary inside the pantry. Then he pulled open the fridge and snagged three cans. He held two in his hands and cradled one in the crook of his arm. Some part of him hoped that Jecht would just drink himself to death already and put an end to all of their misery. Tidus walked back into the living room and stopped behind the sofa. He hesitated. He imagined himself heaving a can at the back of his old man's head. Then he held out one of the icy beers and touched it to his father's cheek.

Jecht jerked away from the cold can. "The hell you tryin' to do, boy!" he shouted without looking at him. He snatched the can and popped it open in one deft motion.

"Hey," Tidus started. "I'm going to Yuna's in a bit. Okay?"

"Kick the ball, damn you!" a huge gulp of beer. "Take the shot, for the love of—"

Tidus pressed another can to Jecht right as his father leaned forward anxiously. The can grazed his shoulder blade. Jecht hissed and arched his back.

"I _said _I'm—"

Jecht grabbed the can from Tidus. He stood up and pitched it at the front door. The top of the beer busted and a light, amber liquid poured out of the popped lid. His father sat down, tense, eyes back on the game. Tidus tossed the third beer lightly on the sofa beside his father. Jecht would probably be knocked out by the time he got back. He was a little relieved. That his father seemed to remember Yuna. He wouldn't have acted so… childish if he hadn't remembered the sweet girl from back then, her sweet mother, her sweet father. Those times. Where happiness had stalled like the still clog of a clock.

The thing he hated most about his old man was this sadness. That sat inside of him and clutched at his insides with cold fingers. Jecht _wanted_ it. He _wanted_ the sadness. He could feel bits of pieces of his life in there; in the past, corroding like a rusty bike chain. As long as he was miserable, he was still there. Or—he wasn't _here._ In this place, in this now. But his old man couldn't express sadness. It festered into anger. Hot and rancid and burning him up.

Tidus had come home early from school one afternoon and was startled to see his father wasn't implanted in the couch. The living room had looked odd without him there. Surreal. Nice. But empty and superficial like the lining of a coffin. He'd heard sounds coming from the hallway. The bathroom door was closed in the hall, but the fluorescent white light shone through the crack under the door.

Tidus pushed the door open slowly. His father was sitting in front of the open toilet, sobbing. Every now and then he would vomit into the basin. The bathroom was pungent with liquor and sweat. The stench seemed to condense on the walls. But he was heaving. There was more groaning than tears. He said his mother's name over and over. He clasped his hands over the toilet seat and prayed and groaned and threw up everything inside of his body. All of it was a dark, amber hue.

The sight had revolted Tidus. _You greedy hard ass,_ he'd thought, _Taking all of this time to grieve. Let me take it. Let me carry it. Let me carry it! _Because it felt like he had seen death. Had accidentally walked in on death taking his old man. And he hated that his father was walking backwards in time. He hated that his father thought he was doing such a damn good job of hiding his sadness.

At that time, Tidus stood for what seemed like several minutes. He hoped that his father would notice him standing there. His son, looming over his wretched body. But he didn't. He kept his head tucked in the toilet like a dog. Tidus slipped out easily and quietly shut the door. A half an hour later, he heard clunking. He realized it was the cleaning supplies hitting the sides of the green-plastic cleaning bucket. The toilet flushed several times as Jecht cleaned the bathroom.

Tidus had waited a couple of hours. Then he'd climbed out of his window on the second floor, down the pipeline, with his backpack, went around the side of the house, and walked in through the front door to his father drinking indifferently on the couch.

"I'm home," he'd said. And, he'd supposed, that was true.

* * *

Rikku had broken out the pots.

Yuna's guess was that she was feeling a little guilty—unnecessarily—about her little vent session earlier that afternoon. She was _intent_ on cooking for Yuna. Her favorite Al-Bhed dish. Hot and spicy curry.

Yuna protested at first. She knew that Rikku was compensating in bounciness and alacrity. But Rikku really wanted to. And Yuna didn't complain any further because _she_ certainly couldn't cook, and she wanted to have some sort of food for Tidus when he came over that evening.

"I'll make extra!" Rikku said, on the balls of her feet. "Does he like it hot or mild?"

"Mild," said Yuna, "But there's no way he'd eat mild if everyone else was eating spicy." She giggled as Rikku shook her braided head and added a liberal amount of red powder. She slid the chopping board out from under the bread box.

"Certainly smells good, Rikku!" Cid said as he walked into the kitchen and took a hard whiff over the large pot. "You're making quite a bit, ain'tcha?"

"Yunie's got a guest coming over," Rikku said, wiggling inside of the fridge, "For her history project."

Yuna nodded, blushing a little at Cid's searching gaze. Surprisingly, he shrugged. "You got a guest coming, too, huh?" he said, and took another whiff. "Smells just like yer mom used to make it. Only better because yer mom didn't have much of a tongue for hot foods. You've got the stuff, honey."

Yuna smiled. "Are you inviting someone, Cid?"

Cid rubbed his bald head. While Rikku was chopping the chili pepper, Cid took the large, metal cooking spoon and stole a quick taste. "That's the stuff, honey," he said. "And yup, Yuna. Just an employee. I'm actually hoping he won't be stayin' for dinner…" Cid's bushy eyebrows furrowed over his head as he looked into the pot.

The brunette stifled a giggle. She pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. She glanced at the digital clock at the end of the counter. It was almost six. Tidus would be there any minute. She pushed back from the kitchen table and headed to the bathroom in the hallway across from the wall-phone. She took a good look at herself in the mirror. She wasn't the type that was really concerned about her appearance, but… now that she looked, her eyes were kind of dark from lack of sleep. Her hair looked kind of flat. She brushed her bangs to the side with fingers. Yuna heard the doorbell. She quickly scrunched the ends of her hair. She smoothed out her eyebrows with her middle fingers. She heard Cid speaking through the door. _Okay,_ she told herself. _Okay. This isn't a date, after all._

She opened the door of the bathroom with her best smile. A lean, blonde Al-Bhed strutted towards her in a collared shirt and jeans. She instinctively pulled the door closed, but he stopped it with his hand and pulled it open. The knob yanked from her grasp. He entered the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

"Why are we hiding?" Gippal whispered loudly, through a grin.

"Hiding?" Yuna squeaked. "Oh, I wasn't—I just thought that you were—"

"Someone less good-looking?" he said huskily. "Yuna, right?"

"Um—" she heard the doorbell again.

"Funny. I didn't know you lived with Cid's girl." He shrugged. Then he leaned over and whispered into her ear, "That's sure convenient, huh?"

He straightened, and then opened the door for the flustered girl in front of him. "Nice seeing you again so soon, Miss Yuna!"

She shuffled out of the door with no response. When she heard the door shut behind her, she looked up. She was utterly relieved to see that neither Cid nor Rikku had witnessed the awkward transaction. She strode into the kitchen, anxiously straightening her hair again.

Cid was still picking at the pot of curry. But Rikku was sitting at the small, pale-wood table. She was leaning into Lulu, who had her chin in the air but was avoiding Rikku's prying green eyes. The two were speaking in low tones. Lulu seemed to be hyper-conscious of Cid in the room, just as Yuna was highly conscious that in a matter of seconds Gippal would walk out of the bathroom and possibly create the most awkward atmosphere Yuna had ever been in.

She felt arms snake around her waist. Yuna gasped as they gave her a quick squeeze.

"Hey there, Pretty Girl," said Tidus.

She turned around, smiling through a warm blush. "I didn't know you were here!"

"I picked up Lulu," Tidus explained, "She wanted to come by and see you and Rik."

Yuna shot him a questioning look.

"Ahh…" he scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I don't know the details, but it had something to do with Wakka smooching the broody queen over there. Chappu walked in, ya know, with a ring."

Yuna's hand flew to her mouth. "A ring!"

Tidus shrugged. "Yeah, a promise ring at least. Chappu's gonna be a sophomore in college next year and Lu's still in high school. I'd say it was a little ambitious _anyway._"

"I'd say Wakka was inspired," came Gippal's cocky voice behind Tidus. An involuntary flutter went up Yuna's spine when he looked at her. His eyes seemed to go through her like white heat. She wanted to turn away from him. The top couple of buttons on his shirt were undone. He ran one hand roughly through his spiked hair. His lips were parted. A rush of memories from earlier that day doused her. She pulled her eyes away from him. But when his fingers grazed her arm, color rose in her cheeks like steam.

**Thanks so much for sticking with me, you guys! I hope you really, really enjoy this chapter! I wanted to go even more places here, but I didn't want to make it **_**too**_** long. Already it might be too long! But I hope you like where the conflict is going, and look forward to seeing where it will end up!**

**I love all of your comments and suggestions, and I take them to heart. Please review and tell me what you lovely people thought so that I can make your experience a more enjoyable one!**

**Love,**

**Miko**


	16. Wild Card

**Hey, guys! A relatively quick update, eh? I tried to make this chapter more coherent and even more enjoyable for you guys. It's hard to say if I'm pleased with it or not, but I needed to write it while I was feeling particularly close to these characters. (A special thanks to Anira Nailo for her deft attention, as well. Thanks for your dedication. Let's walk this road together!)**

**Please, please enjoy!**

_Chapter Sixteen: __**Wild Card**_

Gippal had decided to stay for dinner after all. He spooned the curry out of the bowl with the grace of a monkey and shoved it into his mouth. It was annoying. He opened his mouth too wide when he took a bite. His white teeth arched widely when the spoon slid onto his tongue. She could see his uvula from here!

Rikku shook back her head of braids. She adjusted her headband. She fiddled with her a wide-bellied spoon. She'd lost her appetite watching this Al-Bhed eat like Brother. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Tidus fidgeting uncomfortably on her left—his ankle was resting on top of his bouncing knee—he was practically sparking. He was no fool—at least, not a _total_ fool when it came to women. He was pissed about Gippal macking on Yuna earlier. He'd _kissed_ her for pete's sake! Just the thought made Rikku want to stomp her booted feet on the white-tile floor. She imagined the roof cracking into a V-shape—like the base of a sinking boat that halves before it descends, moaning—and then crumbling down on Gippal's fat head.

Yunie wasn't at the table, of course.

She'd hustled upstairs when the conversation got busiest, murmuring something indiscreet and unconvincing. Everyone noticed except Cid, who was middle-aged and inattentive when it came to issues that were not stuffed under his hairy nose. Nobody said anything, though, when Yuna left. What would they say? Lulu had followed her quietly, fisting her light dress as she climbed the stairs. And Rikku got the sense that Tidus would've followed, except that he probably felt like Cid had huge, green eyes embedded in the floors everywhere like landmines.

Cid and the cocky Al-Bhed were talking machina. Gippal gave his spoon the quick lick of a kitten. Rikku heated and turned her face from him. _No wonder poor Yunie's getting so flustered,_ she thought huffily, and not without some jealousy, _This guy is giving off pheromones just eating curry._ She'd have to explain to Yunie how to combat this, otherwise she'd be subjected to the charms of every man within a six-mile radius.

Tidus leaned back in his chair, arms stretched far above his head. He stepped on Rikku's foot as he strung his legs out under the table. She didn't move her boot from under Tidus's. Compared to Gip, he was kinda short. Gippal's legs were probably the length of the table.

"Well, damn, son," Cid said, rubbing his bald head, "No one is exactly qualified to do that."

Gippal smirked lightly. "You're right about that, Cid." He pushed his brown, glazed-ceramic bowl towards the center of the table. "But ya know, I've been studying in Djose. I've learned quite a bit heading the Faction. You might be surprised."

"Or I might not," Cid refuted with furrowed eyebrows. "You don't want to bite off more than you can chew, champ. Up until now we've had the best workin' on it."

Tidus belted out a large sigh. Rikku cocked her head at him. He was really like a child sometimes!

"What are they talking about?" Tidus muttered, jerking his head in the direction of the pair. Rikku could tell he had no genuine interest in machina, nor in the latest technological advances that both Cid's company and the Faction had managed to accomplish in the last year and a half. In business at all. He was just bored and feeling left out. Reluctantly, she pulled her foot from under his. Tidus sat up strangely. He tensed.

Rikku blinked. "They're talking about a management position at Pop's place," she said. "At his job."

Gippal and Cid didn't outwardly pay any attention to them. But when Rikku stood up, they dipped into Al-Bhed. Gippal rested his elbows on the table, and Cid crossed his legs. Comfortable now. Tidus didn't notice (as far as he was concerned, they were speaking another language from the beginning), but he jumped up from his chair after Rikku stood.

She glanced into his bowl, an earthy ceramic like Gippal's. The curry clumped coldly on one side of the bowl. Rikku snickered. "Couldn't take the heat?"

A sidelong glare at Gippal. "_No._ I just wasn't hungry, Rikku."

"Ooh."

She walked casually down the hall across from the kitchen. The bathroom door was cracked open; shadows spilled out onto the pale carpet. They turned at the corner to their right, passing the wall phone. Seymour passed through Tidus's mind, cold and ghostly, when he saw it.

Rikku jumped onto a long, white sofa when they entered the living room. It was very rectangular, except for the arm rests, and immaculate. He could tell at a glance that people didn't really sit on it. A large, black, _old_ television sat on a dusty dresser that served as an entertainment center. Across from Rikku, on the opposite wall, there was a large, easy-beige armchair with a cup holder. The coffee table was made of glass. It was closer to the sofa than to the armchair. Tidus sat reluctantly next to Rikku and struggled against the habit of propping his feet up on the furniture.

"Wanna watch the telly?" Rikku asked softly. She laughed airily. She seemed almost embarrassed to be sitting in the living room, half full of specters.

"Ahhh." Tidus grimaced. "Not really, Rik. I'm kinda high-anxiety right now. Blitz isn't gonna help."

She crossed her legs, long and bare in her khaki-colored shorts. Uncrossed them. Crossed her ankles. Threw her feet onto Tidus's lap and rested her head on the armrest of the sofa.

"Gross," Tidus grunted.

"Lucky my shoes are on," she grinned. It faded after a few seconds, when silence seemed to take them both and shake them by the collar. She drew in a rattling breath. "Remember when we first moved here?"

_Are you really asking?_ He thought.

"We weren't close," he said, compensating for the clarity of the memory. That day was crystallized in his mind. Hard and translucent like frosted glass.

"We weren't, nope," Rikku agreed. "That was after my mom took a trip."

His insides iced. He didn't want to talk about this stuff. He didn't want to talk about _feelings_. Didn't he have to put up with enough pent up sorrow at his own place? His jaw was hard. He gritted his teeth. Under the pressure, his vision seemed to redden.

"Before Mom—_you know_—we went—the four of us—all over Spira," her eyes glistened under the ceiling light, "The only place we ever stayed more than a year was Home… in Bikanel."

"Rik," Tidus started. _I know I'm becoming a hard ass, too,_ he thought, _But this isn't my job, Rikku. _"I'm not…" _I'm not the type of guy that can bear your burden._

"I know, I know," she said breezily, swatting at the air. "You don't have to say anything." She pulled her feet off of his lap. He almost pulled them back. She curled into a ball. He knew she wouldn't cry. She was tough. But… _This is more than grief,_ he thought, looking at her, _This is fear, too._

"This is the place…" she whispered, staring hard at the curved, black television screen, "This is the place we came when all of the death fell down on us." Her lower lip trembled, but it was not from tears. It was something else. Something foggy inside of her was beginning to solidify.

Tidus decisively pulled her feet towards him, uncurling her body like he was unfurling a ribbon. "This is the place where all the death _stopped_, Rikku," he said. And when she smiled at him, he felt his chest hook. Just like that. He had surrendered himself to the fear that she was carrying. And now they would each hold it in their cores, half and half.

"Don't you like it here?" he said. He squeezed her foot.

"Luca?" she said, "I love Luca. But I don't belong here."

He rested his head against the back of the sofa and looked up at the ceiling, white and pulpy. "Where do you belong?" he said.

"Home," she said, and curled again, a baby, stuck in loneliness, dozing, dozing, far away, dreaming of some place smoothed by sand, half-imaginary, half-fantastic, half as empty as when she left it, stones chiseled by machina, ethereal, dreaming of the curry, so hot in your lungs, of oh-so-sweet oasis water, sand pits and quick sand, sandstorms and sand in her sandwiches, dreaming of her mother, tan and feisty, and dreaming of the eye-patched prodigy, lean and wiry, breath hot, always hot, breath like Bikanel, spiked hair the color of that sandy sky, long fingers that could wrap around her whole arm, wrap around her whole calf, but never touching her, never even wrapping around her pinky finger, never even pulling a braid, only breathing that hot breath that brought her back Home, dozing, dozing, far away, so far she could taste something that was unreal even then.

* * *

They spoke vaguely for several minutes, voices low, but not abnormally low. They smirked at each other, made sarcastic passes, and talked politics in those minutes. After a while, the conversation began to taper off. There were less words about the Bevellian praetor, there were fewer jokes about syndicates centralized in Guadosalem. Eventually, the two stopped speaking altogether.

Gippal waited, amused, for Cid to relax. He rested his head on knuckles, arm propped up on the kitchen table. He was used to this routine. They could play at small talk for hours. They would have these meaningless conversations until Rikku finally left the room, exasperated and bored out of her mind. The smell of curry still hung in the kitchen, wafting out of the pots and the bowls gathered at the table. Gippal's eyes swept the room before landing on Tidus's bowl. He extended a finger and tipped it towards him. Practically full. Green peppers were pushed to the side of the bowl. The rest of the curry amassed at the other side of the bowl.

"Damn waste," he said, and stood up to pop it in the microwave.

They originally got into the habit of talking in circles when Cid's wife died. Rikku wasn't coping well. Cid could not have a conversation about her mother with Rikku present. It had been almost six months before Rikku verbally acknowledged her mother's death. And even then, she used a mildly delirious euphemism to describe it. The routine endured. The topics weren't ever so _serious_ anymore—Gippal took the bowl out of the microwave and whipped it a few times with his spoon—but when Cid needed to talk…

"That's the stuff ain't it?" the older man said gruffly from his seat, fists stuffed into his crossed arms.

"Yup," said Gippal brusquely. The talking had died down completely in the living room, like the snuffed out flame of a candle. It was almost suspicious. In Al-Bhed: "What is this about, Cid?"

His sigh was almost like a whinny. "What makes you think you're qualified for that management position?" he said. "That what you did in Djose was so damn good?"

Gippal cocked a blonde eyebrow. "We're still on this?" he said through a sticky-hot mouthful of curry. He dropped into his chair. Still chewing. "What I've been doing is _innovative_ at the Faction. Can you say as much for your employees? As far as I'm concerned, they're doing layman's work on an assembly line." His eyes narrowed as he swallowed. He hadn't really expected to be turned down for the position.

"Never you mind about my employees, son," Cid said stiffly. "What kind of work have you been doing at the _Faction_?" he whined the last word out, patronizing.

The other man grinned, tapping the edge of the bowl with his spoon. He knew Cid was just getting defensive of his employees. That's what he liked about the old man.

"Could you be more specific?" Gippal said in a politer tone.

Cid shrugged. "Impress me."

The house creaked when the air condition stuttered on, whispery. "Who's my competition?" Gippal snorted through the spicy meat sticking to the roof of his mouth.

"My daughter," said Cid coolly.

"Rikku?" he choked, and struggled to breathe through his coughing fit. "You said your _daughter_?"

He nodded. "She's good, Gippal. She's damn good. You've seen her work."

Gippal threw his hand in the air incredulously. "Not for four years!" he rasped. "Even then, she was mediocre at best. Her curry is a little above average, fine. Her work with _machina_ is just—average. Child's play, Cid."

"You haven't seen her for four years," Cid said flatly, "Just like you said. And I ain't just sayin' that 'cause she's my daughter! If I wanted someone _innovative,_ good with their hands, I'd pick Rikku. And she's a quick learner. Ain't hardheaded like some. Just sayin'."

Gippal rolled his eyes. "I'm not gonna compete with your _daughter._" He stacked Tidus's bowl inside of his own. They slipped inside of each other like coconut shells.

Cid leaned into Gippal and gripped his upper arm passionately. "Co-manage. With Rikku. That's the best thing I could have ya do. It would prosper under both of yer hands."

_Puppy dog eyes? Is that your wild card, old man?_ Gippal pulled Cid's hairy fingers off of his arm.

"No," Gippal said seriously.

"Why not?"

"It's messy working with your daughter." He took Cid's bowl and stacked it as well. He brought the stack to the sink and rinsed them with water.

"Come on, Gippal. Last time you've seen her was four years ago. She's much more mature, ain't she?"

"It's messy I said."

"Hmph!" Cid threw his arms into the air. "Well, it's only goin' to the both of ya. That's what it comes down to. Take it or leave it!"

Gippal plucked up the sponge sitting beside the left knob on the sink. "Then I'll have to leave it, Boss," he said. The sponge was blue. Its back was coarse and dry. Thinking of the glaze on the bowls, he flipped the sponge and scrubbed the food from them with the sponge's soft underbelly.

* * *

It was awkward in every scenario. After Rikku fell asleep, he couldn't have her feet on his lap. He couldn't even think of what he would say if Cid and Gippal walked into the den, Cid glaring, nostrils expanding and contracting like potholes in the street, Gippal smirking, like it gave him permission to hawk Yuna up. He'd practically thrown Rikku's feet off of him.

When he'd walked out of the living room into the kitchen, Gippal was washing the dishes. Cid was turned, one arm over the back of the chair, just watching him. Waiting for something, it looked like. The scene was bizarre. Intimate, even. Secretive. He did not announce himself. Just tiptoed up the stairs, one at a time, praying that neither of the two Al-Bhed would snap around, or that Lulu would loudly exit Yuna's room.

He'd made it to the top okay. Once he was up there, he'd relaxed. He hesitated in front of her door. Then he knocked lightly. The two girls had been talking softly inside. But when he knocked, the sound sunk through the carpeted floor.

"Come in," Yuna said from inside.

He twisted the knob, opening the door only slightly to avoid the loud creak, and slipped inside. Both of the girls were on Yuna's bed. Lulu sat cross-legged at the foot of the bed with a textbook open on her lap. It had settled into the folds of her dress. Yuna laid on her stomach, legs bent at the knee and crossed at her ankles. She had been peering at the textbook over Lulu's thigh.

Tidus grinned sheepishly. "Sorry to interrupt."

Yuna shook her head. "You're fine," she said. She smiled at him. "I'm glad you came up."

"I was dying down there," he said.

"I imagine," said Lulu cryptically. She looked down at her lap and sighed. "We were just sorting out the details for your project. That _is_ why you came over, correct?"

"Yes, captain," Tidus snapped, "I was waiting to be rescued from the squad of Al-Bheds down there."

Yuna waved him over. He walked sulkily over to the bed. He considered collapsing onto it. _That's a good way to get busted in the head with a textbook._ Tidus imagined Lulu batting him away from the bed with the seven hundred paged _Spira, a History_. He oriented himself on the floor, knees in his chest, hands clasped over his knees.

"Where we at?" he asked.

The night was long but went by quickly. The room got chilly as the night caped the sky, dark and purple out of Yuna's window. The moon was thin. So thin, and light. His mother's eyelash. Eyes closed in the night. Clouds slipped past the moon like spirits. But then the night was clear, perfectly clear. Except, in Luca, you could never see the stars. The stars had fled to places like Home, in Bikanel. Besaid. Where people were used to bearing burdens. The stars were a gift to those people. Who appreciated light in spite of the dark.

The project was long and tedious and tragic. With Lulu's help the time spent was easily halved. She did not allow for distractions. They created a beautiful poster, featuring Kilika in all of its splendor. Oh, yes, in Kilika, you could see the stars there. Even after the day Sin engulfed it, the afternoon dusk glittered with pyreflies. The most horrifying feeling was thinking that it was beautiful.

When Yuna closed the book, finality rang through the room like the peal of a bell. Exhausted, silence took them again. But it was a warm silence. In this room, the window was open. They could hear crickets below. Clothes were strewn on Rikku's bed, hairspray spotted her mirror; it was probably sticky. Yuna's alarm clock faced her pillows, away from him. Her bedside table sat meekly under notebooks. All of it was proof of vivacity. He thought of Rikku, alone, sleeping in a room that nobody sat in. She never came upstairs.

He thought of asking Lulu about Wakka, about Chappu. Where she stood. If he should encourage Wakka, or help the big guy start dealing with his loss. He opened his mouth to speak, but as he took a half-breath, Lulu said,

"Yuna."

Tidus closed his mouth. Yuna looked inquisitively at Lulu. Lulu was sitting with a very rigid posture, black hair swooping elegantly over her shoulders. She looked regal. _Now that's a woman that carries burdens,_ Tidus thought. And he became jealous. But he was not sure what exactly he was jealous of. He just knew that any question he was going to ask her suddenly became lost.

"What is it, Lulu?" said Yuna, touching her shoulder.

"Nothing really," Lulu said touching her forehead with her fingertips, "I'm tired."

On cue, Tidus let out a grizzly yawn.

"Me too," said Yuna. "Thank you so much for helping. We'd probably still be working if not for you."

Lulu shook her head. "No, that was nothing. It's not that. It's just…" she looked away from both of them, focusing on the red-orange Kilika poster leaning against Yuna's dresser. "I don't want to go home tonight."

Tidus and Yuna exchanged surprised glances. But then Yuna said, "Of course you can stay here."

_Maybe that's what I'm jealous of_, Tidus thought. He grinned at Lulu, but he was festering a little. _She deals so quickly and efficiently with her emotions and with everyone else's. Me, I fall into a crack. The earth opens up and swallows me. And I let it. _And he knew that Yuna would go down into those depths for him. He realized with an icy jolt that he was beginning to blend into the habits, the thoughts, and the cowardice of his father.

Lulu got off the bed to change. When her heel hit the floor, his hands began to shake.

"I don't want to go home either," he said. Dona's face popped into his head and he began to rock back and forth. He thought of blitzball, hammering Wakka in the water. He thought of Rikku, curled up like a baby on the couch. He imagined his father, pulling his head out of the toilet, voice clogged with liquored emotion, saying, _You think you're doing such a damn good job of hiding your sadness, boy. But I know that you cry. I know that all you're good for is cryin'._

* * *

**Ahh, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.**

**Please review and let me know your thoughts on where Dreams May Last is going.**

**Love,**

**Miko**


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